Rebirth of Azure
by Storm Reaper VII
Summary: After the events of Central Fiction, Ragna finds himself in a bizarre new world that seems to have the chance of a fresh start for him. What is this realm he's been brought to? Is this just another possibility of the Azure? Why does he still remember his past life so vividly? What's the point of it all? The story of the Grim Reaper continues...
1. Another Possibility

' _Looks like this is it… This world; everyone's world, it's time for it to move on without me,'_ Ragna the Bloodedge thought to himself as the gates to the _Azure_ slowly began to open, the gate to the countless possibilities.

Anyone else thinking those words may have had a bleak and fearful outlook, but not he. His path had been walked, his task had been completed… now the future was left to other people who inhabited the world, completely unaffected by the Central Fiction. He wouldn't be missed; no one would remember him anyways, he'd seen to that. At most they'd remember what he stood for, what he might've meant in the world, but nothing more.

The traveling performer in front of him, Amane Nishiki, did nothing but keep the same small smile he'd had on his face for the last few moments. Currently he was the only person alive that remembered Ragna the Bloodedge, but even he would eventually forget. Ragna let out a soft and final breath of exasperation as the gates finally creaked open, light rushing from them and enveloping the Reaper.

When the light finally faded he was gone, vanished from existence and the memories of those who'd once known him. All that remained was his blade _Bloodscythe_ which remained impaled in the void, the last memento to the unremembered hero. It seemed like it was truly over, the finale of Ragna the Bloodedge… yet not even his curtain call would be that easy.

Original Protagonist by Toshimichi Mori  
Story, Alternative World, and Character Designs by Storm VII

 _ **Rebirth of Azure**_

 _ **Blue Prologue: Another Possibility**_

' _...My head…'_ Ragna groaned internally as he emerged from his deep unconsciousness. His eyes were squeezed shut as he felt chilled to the bone and his skin covered in a soaked something. Whatever was covering him made him feel constrained; his arms couldn't move properly and his legs felt slightly curled in. He was already suffering from the pins and needles feeling coming from all over his body, but then came the sudden rush of information to his head.

It was quite literally seeing his entire life flash before his eyes. He remembered the time he spent with Jin and Saya trapped inside the lab, Jubei's rescue, his time spent with Celica at the church, Terumi's attack, his training, receiving his cherished sword and coat, and beginning his revolution. He felt the fires he'd caused when he'd burned the Libraries branches to the ground, the rage of reuniting with the little brother who'd severed his arm, the fear he'd felt when first encountering Hakumen, and the pain he felt when he'd been impaled upon Nu's giant blade. He remembered facing the sadistic madman Terumi, the bloodthirsty Azrael, the colossal Takemikazuchi, the wise Sage Nine, the deadly Izanami, and of course the god Susanoo… He also remembered the people of that world that meant a lot to him, people who he'd wished he could see if he hadn't needed to erase himself from their lives.

Ragna grimaced as he tried to retain the information of his life. Slowly, ever so slowly, he managed to open both of his eyes. His vision was blurred, he found it impossible to make anything out in the darkness, only managing to see that he was being carried by something wearing a hood, Whatever it was, it was much larger than he was and had a firm grip on him.

' _Damn! Why can't I break free!?_ ' Ragna internally cursed as he squirmed in the arms confining him with little success in his disoriented state. ' _Let me go you-!'_

"Wah!"

A cold chill crept down his spine at the cry of a young baby. Ragna wanted to deny it, he wanted to refuse it, but it was true; that cry was his. The person carrying him put a single finger to his lips. It was soft and warm, but it somehow felt… familiar.

"Hush my son… you won't have to be in this rain for much longer," the voice was also family and very warm in spirit.. It would have seemed calm and caring to Ragna had he not focused on the words spoken.

' _Son!? Me!? I'm a baby and this is my mother!? What the hell happened!? I was supposed to have disappeared from the world after erasing myself from Amaterasu! It feels like I'm in some other reality or something!'_ Ragna internally raged. ' _Just what the hell's going on here? Is this a possibility of the Azure?_ ... _Well either way I can't do shit now like this… Might as well see where this goes.'_

In his current state Ragna just closed his eyes and tried to endure the rain for and the bumps he was experiencing as his unidentifiable mother carried him while keeping a very brisk pace in the rain. Eventually, she seemed to slow in her walking. She adjusted her hold on Ragna and brought him so he was facing her directly, but his eyes were still blurry and he still couldn't make any details out of his supposed mother through the darkness of her hood.

"...Please take care of yourself child," she said with a rather sad and tear filled tone as she slowly walked up a short set of steps to a doorway. "Y-You'll be much safer here than you'd be with me… I-It's for the best."

' _So I'm being given away by my own mother,'_ Ragna thought glumly. ' _Doesn't look like my second life is off to the best of starts.'_

His mother then brought him forward and planted a gentle kiss on his forehead before setting him on the ground. Though he could still only see vague shadows in the darkness, he saw his mother reach her arm to grab some sort of large metal ring before rapping it against the door several times and hurrying off, vanishing from Ragna's sight. Luckily it didn't seem like Ragna was going to be waiting for long as he heard heavy footsteps on the other side of the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," came the grumpy and slightly drowsy voice of an old man. After struggling with the latches for a moment, the old man on the other side opened the door and peered out into the dark and rainy night while holding the lamp. "Hm? Where'd...?"

As he glanced downward, Ragna got a look at the man's face from the light the lamp was giving off. The man had wrinkled skin of a light brown hue and black shaggy hair with a just as shaggy beard. His eyes were a much darker brown as they looked down at him with something between a look of pity and a scowl. His clothes were brown robes with several stitches in them and seemed to give off something of a musty smell.

"A baby? ...Lady Reslavia, I thought I was done with this," the man said with a sigh before slowly kneeling to pick Ragna from the ground. with a single arm. "Just when I'd gotten rid of the last batch…"

Taking Ragna inside and closing the door the man carried him to his study, set the lamp down on a wooden table and took a seat in a rocking chair. Glancing around the partially lit room, he could see a small wooden shelf of books, several trinkets which looked like they might've been considered religious, and a couple of rusty tools on a desk. Not a machine or other piece of technology anywhere in the mix, just a few archaic tools.

"Let's have a look at you," the man said as he undid the top of Ragna's swaddle. "You've got good eyes on you at least. Not much hair, but it looks like you might have it white at a young age. A rare color, but it doesn't look like you got anything other than regular ears."

' _What kind of ears could there be besides regular?_ ' Ragna thought to himself. ' _Well, I guess I could've come back as a Beastkin._ ' Ragna noticed that the man was starting to further undo the folds of the swaddle and started to squirm. ' _Oi! A little privacy?!'_

"Now don't fuss, I'm just making sure there's nothing wrong with you," the old man told him before raising an eyebrow when he saw Ragna's chest. "You've a mark on you… And that doesn't look like anything I've seen in the old or new scriptures." Undoing the folds a little more he came to Ragna's stomach and found himself looking at an umbilical cord. "Look like I'll be raising a boy with his mother's _birth rope_ on him, freshly cut it seems… I suppose that explains the smell…"

' _You don't smell great either old man,_ ' the infant though to himself as the man picked him up and carried him out of the room. After about a half hour later, Ragna was being washed in a copper basin of warm water by the old man that had brought him here.

"You're certainly not the fussy type, most kids and babes would have been screaming to get out of a bathing," the old man said as he washed Ragna's hair.

' _Dunno why, this feels pretty good,'_ Ragna thought with his eyes closed in relaxation before a thought occurred to him. ' _Maybe I can get a peek of what I really look like, it'd make me feel a little easier at least._ '

Ragna opened his eyes and glanced at the small mirror he'd noticed Aaron had left lying beside the basin earlier. He was startled by one peculiar detail in his appearance; his eyes. Being reborn into a new world and having so much about his previous body the same (though now he had natural arms), Ragna had expected he'd a have a red eye and green one, or maybe both green from before he'd received the _**BlazBlue**_. The fact now was that his eyes were a very deep blue… an _Azure_ blue.

' _My eyes… does this mean I got some of the Azure in me now or something?_ ' Ragna thought to himself. ' _Doesn't really matter at the moment, I mean I'm a baby. How can I use it like this?_ '

After bathing him, the old man rewrapped Ragna in a fresh swaddle and carried him back and carried him back to the study and sat back in the rocking chair where he slowly rocked back and forward. Despite Ragna's unfamiliarity, anxiety, and his strange new setting, he was eventually lulled into a deep sleep.

 _The Next Morning_

When Ragna awakened with a soft yawn he saw that wasn't in the old man's study anymore. Now he was currently in a crib, with a soft blanket and pillow him as he lay in his swaddle. Not being able to move, Ragna stayed there for a few moment before the old man from the previous day came into the room and picked him up.

"You slept through the night, was worried something had happened with you and had to check every so often… You're a quiet one."

Glancing around the room, Ragna saw that there was a large set of beds, all of which were empty and looked like they hadn't been recently used, but they did look like they'd be the right size for children. The old man began applying a carrier to himself made from old but sturdy cloth and put Ragna in it so he'd be resting against his chest when he walked.

Once they were outside, Ragna could see a small village down the hill. It had a few huts, a few houses, some farmland, and the occasional well. The sky was still cloudy, but it showed no explicit signs of raining any time soon. As the old man gave a quick glance back to the building, Ragna was sure that what he'd stayed in overnight was a church.

' _Huh… well it fits given what happened last time,_ ' Ragna thought to himself as his caretaker began walking down the hill and into the town. ' _Though I kind of wish I could have Celica taking care of me again, this guy seems kind of old to be doing this._ '

There were several puddles on the ground from the rain last night and the old man made an effort to avoid them as he made his way with his walking stick. The town itself was of a dark ages setting and several men were heading out to work on the fields, homes, or others tasks. When they passed by several of them gave a nod and said 'Father.' Eventually the two made it to one of the town wells where they found two women talking to each other.

"Oh, Father Aaron, it's been a while since we've seen you," a young brown haired woman said to the old man with a smile, finally giving Ragna a name to the caretaker. He noticed the obvious bulge in her stomach, making it clear she was some time along in pregnancy. She then took notice of Ragna. "Oh, and who's the little one?"

"A new arrival to the church Isabelle," Aaron said to her gruffly. "'Found him left on the steps in the middle of the night. No sign of the mother or father anywhere, not even a note. The guards should have at least reported something but it looks like they let whoever it was slip through."

"It was a stormy night, I doubt they were walking in plain sight if they wouldn't even stop to talk to you," the second woman with raven hair told him. "I have the feeling more children will be born before long, a few of the women in the village are finally pregnant and now we already have an arrival. Are you going to be alright taking care of him? I don't think you've ever raised a child this young before."

"I may be old, but I'm not helpless," the old man muttered. "It's only one child and he's quiet enough. Much less challenging since I had to manage 15 whelps at a time… Shame that I've only had a month of peace since then."

"Try to make it seem like a chore or an annoyance Aaron, we both know how happy it makes you when you finally manage to get the children into good homes," Isabelle said with a smile which the Priest didn't seem to acknowledge. "Speaking of which, what's this one's name?"

"He doesn't have one, first whelp I've raised that doesn't," the old man said as he glanced down at Ragna. "Reslavia permitting, I'll let the boy chose his own name when he's older. Fitting for a child raised in a church of choices."

"That sound like an excuse to get out of naming him yourself," Isabelle said with a small scowl. Aaron didn't deny the accusation. "Sorry to leave you, but I'm going to get things ready for breakfast; my husband ran the night shift guard last night and he hasn't eaten a thing yet. Would you care to join us?"

"I'm perfectly capable of cooking my own food," the Priest said. "However… I don't believe I'll be able to feed the boy properly for some time."

"Oh?" Isabelle said with curiosity before glancing at Ragna. "Oh I see, not a problem." Gently taking Ragna from Aaron, the youth's eye went wide as he started to realize what this meant for him.

' _Is she going to-?!_ ' Seeing her start to undo her blouse as she carried him towards one of the houses, he had all of the confirmation he needed. He also knew he needed food but… ' _Dammit… This sucks..._ '

 _TimeSkip -Several Years Later-_

Ragna's second time growing was a bit different than the first. For one thing he didn't have Jin or Saya to take care of while he was growing up, it was just him and Aaron. The second difference was that Aaron didn't have a name to call him by, most of the time when he was addressing Ragna he'd simply call him boy, which the reborn youth dealt with as he knew eventually he'd have a chance to chose his own name. He'd indeed continued to grow as Aaron had expected; white hair, Azure blue eyes, and that mark on his chest still remained. Currently Ragna was dressing in clothes made of linen, giving him brown linen pants, a slightly tanned linen shirt, and shoes made out of a thin leather.

"Boy, it's time to get started with the chores," Aaron had said one morning after serving the two breakfast. Since Ragna wasn't too old, his chores mainly included sweeping, washing clothes, and generally staying out of trouble.

"Ragna," he'd said as he finished his breakfast. Aaron raised a black eyebrow as he turned back to the child. "You said I could pick a name when I got older, I want to be called Ragna."

"...I see… And just how did you come up with that name?" Aaron asked with a steady tone. Ragna simply gave a casual shrug to which the old man muttered, "Give him a choice and he chooses a name like that. You try me Reslavia, you truly try me…"

That was another thing different about growing up with Aaron than Celica, their attitudes. Whilst Celica had been very involved, warm, and cheery when she was raising Ragna, Aaron tended to be standoffish, cold, and rather grumpy. This didn't making him a bad guardian though, Aaron had a way of teaching rules and responsibility like Ragna had learned from Jubei and he tended to always be ready for a town emergency; like the time Isabelle's child had been born and the midwife fell ill, Aaron had helped without a moment's hesitation to deliver a healthy baby girl into the world.

While the village had a small school that they would use, Aaron had begun teaching Ragna of other subjects before his school would begin, namely the religion of the church.

"Reslavia is the choice of worship for our church," he told Ragna one night as they sat before a small tome with illustrations in it. "She's one of the seven deities in our kingdom of _Trudarian_ and is the goddess embodying Choice and Determination. It was through her and Vinaria, the goddess of Intellect and Understanding, that mortals gained self awareness. She's the very embodiment of the choices we make and the conviction we need to carry our choices out."

' _I've never really had much choice in either of my lives,_ ' Ragna admitted internal as he thought about the hardships that had been thrust upon him. "So what are the other gods?"

"There's Stroloth, the god of Strength and Endurance, who was said to have created the very bones and flesh of man itself. Vizacis, the god of Crafting and Agriculture, who gave mortals the first tools of smithing and farming before blessing us with the knowledge of fire. Tessial, the god of Love and Compassion, who gave man the joys and curses emotions carry. Fatalicee, the goddess of Death and the Eclipse, who guides us to rest when our time is right. Very important beings indeed."

"But that's only six," Ragna said, making Aaron raise his brow. "Who's the seventh?"

"Good at counting are you?" the Priest said before shaking his head. "Last is Genreckor, the God of Dawn who created the world which we inhabit and the so called king of the gods as instructed by his church. I'll admit he has the largest following, but that doesn't justify rewriting the scriptures to put him above the other gods. Might does not always make right, never forget that."

Ragna wouldn't forget it and looked over the book very closely. Aaron had thought that Ragna was simply looking at the pictures and seeing the writing next to it as chicken scrawl, but the truth was Ragna could easily read what the messages were saying. Even if it was using a different set of symbols than he was used to, Ragna figured the _Azure_ must've done something to his brain because he could understand it easily.

Eventually came the day that Aaron finally allowed him to attend the little community run school. The school only lasted about three hours so that kids could do the chores that were required of them. Ragna hadn't spent any time with the other kids of the village with his own responsibilities to take care of, so this would be a new experience for him.

He entered the building where lessons would take place, the town elder's house. The Elder taught the children in his own home because he had little else to do and was arguably the wisest of the village (and because Aaron didn't want to do it). Despite being the last one into the villages classes, Ragna was the oldest kid in the village and received several stares as he approached the town elder with his bizarre white hair.

"So you're the one staying with Aaron?" the elder asked from his chair and Ragna nodded. "Very well, take a seat on the floor and we'll get started."

Ragna took a seat on the floor a ways away from any of the other kids and noticed that several of the other kids were looking over at him and whispering to each other. He didn't pay them any mind. There were an even dozen other kids in the class all around the same age, Ragna being the oldest at seven while the youngest was four.

"I'll give you an easier problem to start," the elder said to everyone as the kid slowly calmed down. "If I had three apples and gave two away how many would I have left?"

"One," the class said as a whole, except for Ragna who didn't know what to expect.

"Good. And if I bought four more apples? How many would I have then?"

"Five," the class said, causing Ragna to raise an eyebrow before shaking his head, actions that were clearly seen by the teacher.

"Oh, and I suppose you know the answers?" the elder said though he didn't seem cross or unhappy. He knew this was just another lesson to teach, one of humility. "If I had four groups of fruit and each of the groups had nine apples and a fig in them, what would I have?"

Ragna didn't answer immediately, and he noticed the groups of children all muttering to each other, all of them trying to figure the answer because this was a hard one for them.

"Perhaps you'll see a little wisdom of listening then?" the teacher said with a friendly chuckle. "Not to worry, all lessons-"

"36 apples, 4 figs, 40 pieces of fruit in total," Ragna stated plainly causing all of the students to look at him with surprised glances. "...Eyes to yourselves."

"C-Correct…" the elder said with surprise before deciding to question Ragna further. "And if I added four fruits to each group? How many would I have in total?"

"56," Ragna said with a shrug causing the teacher to raise an eyebrow once more. That was when the kids truly started paying attention to the stranger staying in the town's church, and not just in the classroom. Now they were staring at him when he went to gather supplies, draw water, and other tasks that he did for Aaron around the village. Truthfully it got on his nerves, but he didn't feel like doing anything to address it.

When Ragna wasn't in school or doing chores he was working on his personal training. While he was far too young to wield a sword, he was certainly old enough to run, so he ran. Running around the town was a good way to train himself so that he'd be able to have the physique he once had in his own world. Every day he could a little faster, a little farther, a little easier. He didn't know what he'd do with his strength at the moment… but that's when he decided to begin reading.

Aaron had never forbade him from entering the study so he began using it and taking books out of them. His guardian was fine with it as long as Ragna returned whatever material he took from the shelves. Ragna read about the kingdom's history, the founding of its many orders including a _Mage's Guild_ (leaving a bit of relief to Ragna), and the discovery of the different monsters and the threats they each had to the kingdom.

"You seem to be reading quite a bit," Aaron said as Ragna continued to study from the book in front of him. "How did you ever learn to?"

"Sorta just… went with it," Ragna said casually. It was late at night, almost time for Ragna to go to sleep. The two then heard a knock coming from the doorway. "Should I get that?"

"We may as well both do it," Aaron told him and Ragna stood where they went and opened the door, seeing the the young woman and her daugher. on the other side. "Isabelle…"

"Hey there Aaron," Isabelle said with a friendly smile. Despite her very sociable tone, Ragna couldn't look at her directly and averted his gaze, trying not to remember when he'd been an infant and she'd breastfed him. "We just finished making some strawberry jam and we thought we'd offer you some."

"Oh... thank you," Aaron said simply as the daughter walked forward and handed him the jar. "I take it you helped with this Emily?"

"Yep!" Emily said as she gave him a jar filled with red paste. "I hope you like it!" She then glanced at Ragna who was refusing to look at either of them. "You're that really smart kid from the elder's lessons."

"Really smart kid?" Ragna repeated as he glanced to Emily. Her face wasn't that much like her mother's who had a slightly more rounded face while her own had more narrow details. She had green eyes and long crimson hair instead of dark brown eyes and brown hair like her mother.

"Oh see he's the one you were talking about," Isabelle said with a smile that caused a shiver to go do Ragna's spine. "My daughter's said a lot about you, in fact I think a lot of the kids have been gossipping about you."

"Really?" Aaron said as he glanced at Ragna with slight perplexity. "I never knew he was so... popular."

"Well we've got to get going," Isabelle said before softly stroking her stomach with a smile. "I should head home before the bun in the oven starts kicking again."

"...Will you need my help when it's time?" Aaron offered, remembering when she'd given birth to Emily and he'd had to act in place of the midwife.

"You're sweet, but I think we'll be fine, we're hiring a different midwife, but be sure to be there for afterwards. I want to give the new little one your blessings."

"The blessings of Reslavia are generally given much later into a child's life," Aaron explained. "We give them when the blessed can properly make the decision for themselves, as is befitting for the goddess of choices."

"Silly, I don't want Reslavia's blessings, I want yours. You who helped to deliver my first daughter, I want you to give my next child _your_ blessings."

"...If it really matters that much to you then I shall once the baby is born. I swear it." Ragna had known Aaron for long enough that he never made a promise lightly, he always answered whatever duty he was called to.

"C'mon, a blessing's a good thing, no need to be so serious about it," Isabelle said before turning to Ragna with her smile. "Try not to end up as moody as him, he means well, but he's always such a stick in the mud."

"You're telling me…" Ragna muttered, earning him well deserved scowl and a mild slap on the back of his head from his bearded caretaker.

 _The Next Morning_

Ragna awoke at his proper time for breakfast and hurried downstairs to see Aaron sitting down at the table enjoying a cut piece of bread with some of the jam from yesterday spread on it. The Priest took a small bite of the bread before chewing it thoughtfully.

"The jam decent?" Ragna questioned. Aaron nodded so Ragna carved himself a piece of bread for himself and added some jam to it. It was good; the perfect blend of tarty flavor and sweetness to make for a balanced spread.

Later at the elder's place all of the students had gathered and were sitting as they waited for the lesson to get underway. As Ragna walked inside he caught glance of Emily, sitting and talking with some of the other girls as they waited for the lesson to begin. Shrugging to himself, he made his way over to them.

"Hey Emily," he said coolly as he walked over to her group. Immediately most of the girls became quite as they stared up at Ragna, who had never been known for ever saying hello to anyone. "Just wanted to say thanks for the jam that you brought over last night, it was nice to have this morning."

"You're welcome," she said to him with a bright smile. "I'll have to bring you some more next time some."

"If you want to…" Ragna said passively before scratching the back of his head. "I dunno, I guess I'd eat it."

"Do you want to sit with us today?" Emily asked cheerfully causing Ragna to take a single step back in surprise. "You always sit by yourself anyways."

"Um, I-" he was about to protest, but he noticed that everyone's eyes were on him (the elder's as well). He then remembered Isabelle saying that he shouldn't act like his caretaker and should try opening to others. "Suuuuure?" he awkwardly conceded before sitting beside them with embarrassment, a few of the girls giggling from the blush on his face.

"Ah, reminds me of myself in my youth," the old man said with whimsey. Ragna internally called bullshit on that statement. "Now then, let's begin our lesson."

All throughout the class Emily and her friends tried to get Ragna's help so that they'd get the right answers to the questions. Ragna didn't let up much, he figured they'd need to learn the lessons themselves eventually. Besides, this information was nothing new to him; he wanted to learn about what people could do with magic. When the class was finally over the kids all began to pile out, but Ragna stayed behind despite Emily's invitation to play.

"Hey Elder," Ragna said as he approached the teacher who gazed at the youth with tired eyes. "I was sort of just wondering… are we ever going to look at magic here? I mean I know we've got _Mage's_ _Guilds_ in the kingdom, so wouldn't magic be a good lesson?"

"Oh? You haven't seen the end of your seventh year and you're already bored of the fields before you've tended them?" the elder asked with a small hint of whimsey. "I take it you think you're meant for more than just a simple farmer's life?"

"Maybe," Ragna admitted as he crossed his arms. "So, have anything for us?"

"I'm afraid I don't, magic takes years and years to get a grasp of and I grew up in this village as a simple farmer… I was the best looking farmer however, so it wasn't that boring for me," the elder said, smiling at that last part while Ragna rolled his eyes. "But how did you know about the existence of the guilds? Did Aaron tell you about them?"

"'Course he didn't, I had to read about them in those books he keeps in his office," the youth grunted, surprising the elder. "Guy never tells me anything."

"That's not surprising, but you claim to be able to read at your age?" he asked. Ragna slowly nodded, not exactly sure what the big deal was about it. "Aside from you, Aaron, and myself there may be as few as four people in this little farming village who are truly literate and they are all adults. Perhaps you are meant for the _Mage's Guild_ then… but that won't be for some time. Keep you eyes on the present, not on the horizon."

"The present's boring; I want to be ready for when that horizon finally gets here," Ragna said as he headed for the door. "See you elder…"

Ragna exited the hut and headed to the edge of town to run around it a couple of times before heading to the woods to conduct the rest of his exercises. Parents had often told their children that they needed mind their distance from the woods for feral animals and other dangers that slept deep within, but Ragna often used it to secretly train himself. As long as he got his chores done and didn't cause trouble, Aaron was rather lax on what Ragna chose to do with his time.

As the youth walked through the streets of the small village he caught glance of some of the other kids with a small made of tightened and hardened leather as they ran around the village grounds and kicked it as they did. He watched them for a moment, thinking back to when he'd lived in the church with Celica, true he'd only had Jin and Saya to play with he'd been happy, but he didn't feel like taking his second childhood so laxly.

'What's wrong, they didn't want you to join?" Ragna groaned as he recognized that voice; it belonged to Ruth, the third oldest of their generation in the village behind Ragna and Emily. His father ran the affairs of the village so he tended to the through his weight around and was never seen without his lackeys. Too scared to talk?"

"Why the hell would I be scared of a moron like you?" Ragna spat with a scowl as he turned to face Ruth. Ruth's hair was a dirty shade of blonde that was tied behind him in a ponytail, he'd seemed to have gain a little weight since the last time Ragna had been pestered by him. The clothes that he'd been given were well crafted cotton purchased from merchants which had exhibited much more quality than Ragna's linen made apparel.

"I was hoping you'd finally learned something from pissing in those idiotic classes, but it looks like you're still the same idiot you were last time I saw you," Ruth said with an ugly and smug grin. He was personally homeschooled by his mother and father and he'd often bragged to his cronies (who were almost as big and ugly as he was) that he'd be getting out of the crummy village to become a king's advisor before long… maybe he'd be a King's fool if he were lucky. "Yep... still just a bumbling idiot whose own mother didn't want him."

In his previous life Ragna would have gone berserk from those words alone and knocked the crap out of the guy in front of him, but after everything he'd been through with Terumi and the sadistic ways he'd been insulted by the madman he barely felt the impact of the insult. He just let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head with disdain before turning to walk away.

"I'm not done with you yet! Are you running away?!" Ruth shouted at Ragna as his flunkies made rude calls and shouted insults at him. "You'll never amount to anything you idiot! That's the difference between us! I'm meant for greatness and you're meant for nothing! You'll never do a thing worth history! NOTHING!"

"You done yet?" Ragna muttered as he kept his back turned. " If you want to talk to me about doing something meaningful go kill a god, otherwise you've got nothing to say to me." As he ran off after finishing his part, the bullies all looked to each other, their violent natures momentarily replaced by confusion.

"Go kill a god? What's that supposed to mean?" one of the flunkies asked Ruth.

"That idiot's probably just talking gibberish, every smart person knows that the gods are just stories made up to get money and servants," Ruth brashly claimed. "'Sides, what's he trying to say? That he killed a god? An orphan nobody like that? What a joke."

 _Later -The Woods-_

Ragna let out a yell as he powerfully swung his leg through the air sending green leaves sailing around him. He'd already run around the village several times before heading to the woods to complete his sets of push-up, sit-ups, and arm reps using a fair sized logs. He'd been adding different types of workouts as he grew so he could tone his body to what he once had earlier. Progress on that had been slow, but with only a child's body to work with that was no big surprise.

That left him to train his fighting style which (without the proper body to use) had lost its edge. He was getting back his form little by little despite not having Jubei to train him. He was currently focusing on his unarmed strikes, since he wasn't currently using a sword and he didn't have his _Ars Magus_ based techniques. Ragna sent a quick jab out before spinning into a roundhouse kick and finished with a downward haymaker. He followed that with an quick one-two with his before lunging forward with his knee and performing another roundhouse kick.

' _And now for the final touch!_ ' Ragna thought as he rushed his fist forward. In his early days this would have carried him forward with with a black glow around it, courtesy of his _**BlazBlue's**_ power. Without it, he fully expected to merely perform a powerful punch that would have caused considerable damage by hitting his opponent's diaphragm (or groin if he was facing a much taller adult), but instead he seemed to unintentionally tap into a latent power; his arm became emitted in _Azure_ flames as he he completed the attack, the force of which was enough to carry him forward and leave behind a trail of blue aura from his fist.

"What the-!?" Ragna exclaimed in amazement as he forced his power off and skidded on the floor for a moment before he finally managed to come to a stop. He gave a glance to arm which still had wisps of the blue flames from earlier circling around it.

' _This is the Azure… so I really have some in me after all_ ,' Ragna thought to himself as the flames slowly faded. _'There's no way I could've managed to get the full thing, but I still got at least a piece of it… The problem is what's going to happen if this gets out of control? My_ _ **BlazBlue**_ _was turning me into the Black Beast when I was using it as my arm, but what about this power?"_

As Ragna pondered the power he had and whether or not he should use it, he thought back to his time spent in his own world, where abusing his arm often lead to causing pain to him and those he loved. ' _Don't treat the Azure as your own just cause it's cozying up to your arm_ ,' his teacher Jubei had said to him. The power of the _Azure_ hadn't been his… but then again...

' _Noel has been chosen to be the eye,_ ' Rachel Alucard had told him in Kagutsuchi. ' _She is to become the true successor to the True Azure. Not that pathetic fake you use._ '

"So If this is the real thing..." Ragna began aloud as he let his power flow into his right hand again and allow his arm to be coated in the blue flames. The _Azure_ felt much different than it had with his _**BlazBlue**_ , this felt much more natural, like it really was his power. Ragna continued to gaze at his arm for a moment before smirking.

" _ **SAPPHIRE SPIKE!**_ **"**

The youth flung his arm upwards, causing a burst of _Azure_ energy to emerged from the ground which flew forward a bit as it tore up the ground. The attack didn't completely carry the form of a _**Black Beast's**_ head and looked more like a large rush of energy, but it behaved in a similar manner and continued forward until it slammed into a tree's base and unleashed a powerful explosion of energy.

"Feels off, but I think I'll get the hang of it," Ragna declared cockily to himself before letting the power flow into his arm once more. Ragna figured that if he had the real _Azure_ then maybe his own time wouldn't be quite as limited when he used it. Not want to let his great feeling go to waste, he performed his next attack, shouting whatever name as it came to mind.

" _ **BLUE FANG!**_ **"** Ragna shouted as he coated his right arm in Azure Flames a rushed forward with a power punch. He then allowed himself to come to a stop before sending his other hand upwards and creating another wave of _Azure_ energy from the ground that flew forward a short distance.

" _ **GAUNTLET COBALT!**_ **"** He leapt into the air and twisted his body to create a devastating spinning kick to the tree branches, his legs leaving behind a trail of _Azure_ energy as he did so. Ragna then twisted his body midair and sent out a second kick that continued to devastate the above branches. He eyed a good sized branch falling in the air nearby and shot his arm out to grab it out of the air. He channeled a little of his _Azure_ into the branch and caused it to gain a flaming blue glow.

" _ **CERULEAN EDGE!**_ **"** Ragna bellowed as he drove the makeshift weapon downwards and cut through anything in its way like a hot knife through butter, making clean cuts through the branches and leaves on his quickened descent to the ground as his sword his the ground. Upon landing Ragna further channeled his _Azure_ into the branch and swung it around before bring it the the ground again, slamming down a much large wave of _Azure_ which tore the falling debris to shreds and sent out a large cloud of dust from the ground.

" _ **AZURE DIVIDER!**_ **"** came the shout as Ragna pulled off a new variation of his signature move and swung his makeshift sword upwards through the cloud he'd created. Time seemed to slow as the branch traveled in an skyward arc with enough force to carry Ragna off the ground. It left a visible cut in its wake as it sliced cloud before Ragna finished the move smirked for a brief moment the cloud violently dissipated in a dusty burst.

"Hell yeah!" Ragna shouted as he again landed on the floor. His cocky smirk from earlier hadn't vanished, if anything it had grown with how great he was feeling… but that was before he turned and noticed the damage he'd caused to the forest area. The branches above had been destroyed, the ground had been terribly torn, and one of the trees finally fell from the damaged it had taken from Ragna's newly named _**Sapphire Spike.**_

"Looks like I got a bit carried away," Ragna admitted before the branch he'd been using as a sword finally turned to wood dust in his hands after the abuse it'd gotten. "...Make that _very_ carried away."

Deciding that he'd caused enough damage in his training for one day, the current holder of the _Azure_ began his walk back to the village. During his short jaunt, he came across the main path inside the village and saw the it looked like it had been recently traveled upon by a wagon.

"That's weird; I thought the merchants weren't due for another week," Ragna muttered. The traveling caravans of merchants were some of the few regular visitors to the small farming village and they could be considered something of lifeline, willing to pay for the food the village produced in order to satisfy their own customers while the money they gave helped the village with taxes and paying for other goods. They were also known for coming at a very consistent point of the summer, hence Ragna's comment.

He was put off ease by this observation. Any slight event that happened outside normal circumstances general led to nothing but trouble for him throughout his last life. Glancing towards the village he could clearly see that it wasn't in flames, nor did he hear any sounds of fighting, so why did he feel so uneasy?

"Well, I might as well see what's going on," Ragna said casually as he began a slow paced walk back to the village. He tried to keep that pace for as long as he could, but his nerves eventually took over and he began speed walking back which eventually turned into a run before becoming a full on sprint.

It didn't take him long before he reached the village. At first glance he didn't see anything unusual as he walked through the streets, he did see a few of the villages women already beginning to cook the dinners, odd since the men wouldn't even be back from the fields for another two hours. Narrowing his eyes at the oddity, Ragna continued to travel further into the village. Eventually he came across the wagon that had entered the village, but instead of seeing it loaded with gold, silks, and various other goods he found it loaded with children.

' _What the hell is going on?_ ' Ragna demanded internally as he looked at the arriving children.

There appeared to be around ten of them and they were all wearing linen like he was, though many of them appeared to be dirty and covered in grime with tears in their clothes, a few showed cases of injury, though nothing appeared to be serious, one girl was even young enough to be carrying a raggedy doll. He saw Aaron near the wagon talking with a grown man that didn't look like merchant due to their plain clothing and dirty appearance; most merchants tried to seem at least a little appeasing to look at. Eventually, the priest finished talking to the traveler and turned to acknowledge Ragna.

"Back from the woods?" Aaron asked calmly. Despite being found out Ragna managed to keep a straight face. "I don't know what it is you do there and above all else it's your choice to do so, but make sure you approach the situation with at least a hint of caution."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it…" Ragna responded uncaringly; if it was Aaron that found out he didn't expect any form of punishment. "So what happened?"

"Bandits," Aaron explained, causing Ranga's eyes to narrow. "They attacked a larger village on the other side of the Bailo town. These kids here are practically the only survivors from the city. When they were on the road here they passed through Bailo town and the owners of the Orphanage decided they'd try to see if they could have a few less mouths to feed and loaded them on the wagon."

"I saw a couple of the moms in town making food on my way here," Ragna decided to inform. "Pretty sure they were making food to bring over for our new arrivals, so that's some good news. The question is what do we do now?"

"For now I'm going to inform Elder and our Town's leader of the situation," Aaron said before turning to the wagon of children. "Who among you is the oldest?"

A boy near the wagon's entrance stood and made his way to the ground. He had brown ratty hair, slightly tanned skin, and dull grey eyes. His body was slightly toned and he stood just a few centimeters shorter than Ragna. He looked pretty dirty and was wearing linens like the rest of the children as well as a slightly torn traveling cloak.

"I am by a year; I'll be seven at the end of summer," the boy told him. "Call me Eric; I was the mayor's son of the village that was attacked… well the youngest son."

"I see, though that still you as only the second oldest by a good half year," Aaron said before addressing the both of them. "I want both of you to bring the others up to the church and help each of them find beds and tend to their wounds. The others will look to you for guidance and as examples in the coming days so you'll both have great responsibilities. Understood?"

"Understood," Eric said in acknowledgement while Ragna simply nodded his head. As Aaron left to spread the message, the new boy turned to the children in the wagon. "Alright everyone, we're going to be heading to our new home now. This guy uh…"

"Ragna," he introduced himself. "I'll lead the way and I want the rest of you follow close behind, got it?"

"But my leg hurts," one of the children whined from the front of the wagon. Ragna made his way over to the young boy and indeed saw that his ankle was swollen in painful color.

"We've got medicine at the church, think you can make it there?" Ragna asked, but the child just shook his head. Knowing what needed to be done, Ragna turned around and kneeled in front of the boy. "Grab on."

He did as instructed and Ragna stood while holding him in a piggyback carry. The rest of the kids started to get out of the wagon and followed Ragna as he led them from the wagon to the church they'd be staying at. While walking he noticed that Eric was at the back of the group, most likely to make sure that no one feel behind, but when he got the rest of the group to the church's entrance Ragna noticed that he was leaning against a shady tree a good distance from the church and appeared to be sweating in great pain. After bringing the kid he was carrying to one of the open beds, grabbing the medicine, and instructing the other orphans on how to apply it to his ankle Ragna headed over to where he was still trying to rest while gripping his right shoulder.

"You don't look great," Ragna said in mild observation as Eric glanced at him.

"I'm fine," he tried to insist though strained breaths. "Just a scratch…"

"You're hurt and there's no point in hiding it," Ragna told him. "We've got medicine at the church, you might as well let me take a look at the wound."

"Forget it, it's nothing," Eric tried to insist before Ragna eyes narrowed in a glare.

"Look, I'm responsible for looking out for the smaller ones just like you are. If you want to keep a strong image I don't have a problem with that, but you better make sure that it's not a corpse they need to see."

"...Fine," Eric relented before taking his travelling cloak off, wincing as he did so.

As Ragna had expected, the wound beneath didn't look fatal, but it looked like it was going to cause Eric some serious problems already. It was a deep gash along his shoulder that looked like it cut all the way to the bone. It was poorly treated with old, blood soaked bandages and the surrounding skin even gave off this sickly mix of red and green.

"Damn, that looks bad," Ragna said as he slowly removed the covering bandages. "Why the hell didn't you let someone know about this earlier?"

"They didn't have enough medicine for everyone's injuries and mine would have taken almost all of it," he tried to defend while wincing. "It's not too bad, I mean I'll heal eventually, right?"

"No you idiot! That wound is infected! Honestly, what made you think that this would be a good idea?"

"Maybe because it was either me or five others would have had to go through this?" Eric tried to defend while he continued to wince. "Just promise me you won't let the others know, I don't want them to feel guilty for this."

Ragna didn't answer right away, he instead glanced around and saw that the two were alone. There was no one within view to see the two. What he was about to try was a longshot, but it _could_ work. "Fine, I'll keep your secret, but I need you to keep mine in exchange."

"Deal, but what secret do you have?" Eric asked, right before Ragna's right hand was encompassed in a powerful blue flame. His eye grew wide at the display, but before he could comment or question it, Ragna forcefully grabbed the wound with his flame covered arm. Eric gritted his teeth and hissed at the pain emanating from the wound, not even able to scream for what seemed to least an eternity.

"There," Ragna said as he finally pulled his arm away and let the flames he'd been giving off finally dissolve. Eric glanced at where his wound had been and saw that it had been completely healed; the flesh had grown back and closed leaving no scar marks, the infected flesh had returned to completely normal color, and end the traces of dried blood were gone.

"How did you-? Was that magic?" he demanded from Ragna who seemed to be slightly winded by the large amounts of energy he'd put into his _Azure_.

"Something like that," Ragna answered vaguely before reminding Eric, "Remember, our secret; no one else finds out about this."

"If that's what you want then fine, but that looked a lot different than the magic I've seen," Eric told Ragna as the two started to walk towards the church. "Then again, what do I know, I mean I've only seen magic twice maybe from performers. You must be pretty good at it if you could heal my arm like that."

"I'm decent," Ragna told him passively, knowing that he'd just managed to start channeling the _Azure_ barely ten minutes ago and using it to heal Eric's wound had been based more on a hunch than anything else.

The two then made their way to the church, where they found the children sitting on the beds not really saying much as he walked in. They all had kind of a sad look in their eyes and many of them looked pretty hungry.

"It won't take long for some food to get here," Ragna told all of them, trying to get their spirits up. "I saw some of the people in town making food for you guys. You'll be alright."

"Where are the rest of the orphans?" one of the young boys asked Ragna.

"Before you all came in it was just me and the old man," Ragna explained before crossing his arms. "Aaron's not exactly a people person, but he took care of me and raised me since I was old enough to remember. There's a lot of kids in the village so you won't be lonely and the elder teaches lessons… It's not a big town, but it's a nice enough one." As he finished he heard a series of knocks coming from the front door. "See? That's probably someone bringing dinner for us now."

Heading to the front door and opening it Ragna found a familiar smiling face of the redhead waiting for him. "Hey Ragna," Emily said to him with a smile. She was holding a good sized pot of some stew that looked like it was piping hot. "My mom just wanted to send me over with some of this stew for the new arrivals."

"Thanks, come on inside," Ragna invited her in before coming to the small dining area where Emily set down the pot while Ragna began to retrieve bowls and spoons from the cupboards. "You're here pretty early, I wasn't expecting people to start sending food for a while."

"Well my mom was going to send food over for you and Aaron anyways, something about trying to convince both of you to be a bit more friendly," she explained.

' _Her mother saw me yesterday and she's already decided that I'm not friendly enough?_ ' Ragna thought with a groan. "Well you didn't have to do that, I mean you brought over that jam yesterday right?"

"It's kind of why my mom decided to do it," Emily said to him. "She's still trying to stop the Father from being such a hermit and to have him come into the village and talk to people."

"That so?" Ragna asked with a sigh as he finished grabbing the tools the newcomers would need to eat with.

"You're not out of this either," Emily said before she playfully poked Ragna in the shoulder. "Come on, where were you earlier when the rest of us were using the ball?"

"I had to talk to the elder about something," Ragna muttered before Emily poked him again. "Will you stop that?"

"Only when you join the rest of us for once," she told him with a bit more of a serious face. "Everyone in town already likes you, why can't you at least play with us sometimes when we invite you?"

"Because I've got other things that I need to take care of," Ragna told her. "More now that I've got orphans to help take care of."

"You're no fun," Emily groaned as Ragna simply shrugged at the statement as he walked to let the others know that they could come to get food. "Can you at least join us to play ball tomorrow?"

"If it makes you stop, fine," Ragna said gruffly as he went to the room where everyone was waiting. "Food's here! Everyone wash up and grab a bowl!"

As Ragna did his part to help the newcomers get ready for dinner, Emily let out a forlorn sigh as she started to head through the entrance. "Why can't he just join in with the rest of us? …I swear, if we didn't know he was adopted I'd say that he was Father Aaron's own son."

"Why do you say that?" came Aaron's voice from behind Emily. The young girl let out a shriek as she quickly turned and saw the priest in the doorway behind her. "Good evening," he said simply.

"I-I didn't see you there," Emily said nervously.

"Given your reaction, that seems rather obvious," Aaron said before Ragna came back through the open doorway. "How are they?"

"They don't seem too happy, but at least they're eating," Ragna told his caretaker. "So… any idea on what's going to happen with the bandits now?"

"The call of help has already been heard by his majesty so I'm told. It appears that the bandits will be taken care of by Sir Nil…" Aaron said, though something in his expression seemed to darken as he said the name. "I suppose we should consider the case closed already."

"Nil?" Emily asked in confusion before turning to Ranga who she knew was more well read, but he only shook his head for not recognizing it.

"Nil is a knight of the kingdom, undisputedly our strongest warrior," Aaron explained. "He's known for his mastery of arcane arts that exceeds beyond all previous knowledge. His true mastery however has been the art of the sword; not a man has ever faced his blade on the battlefield and lived to tell about it… Or so I've heard."

"You've never met him?" Ragna questioned.

"How could I have? I've been a priest my entire life," Aaron said before heading towards the kitchen. "My thanks to you and your mother for the food Emily, but I'm afraid I have children to attend to."

Once Aaron was gone, Ragna simply crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "You're acting all moody again," Emily teased him. Ragna only grunted in response. "Aren't you going to head inside and grab some food?"

"I'll eat when I'm sure everyone else has had their fill," he promised, not bothering to look at Emily while he talked to her. "I already ate today anyways, they're the ones that look that they haven't eaten in days… I can wait."

"It's almost like you're trying to be everyone's older brother," Emily giggled.

"Well better me than Ruth," Ragna retorted, no argument was heard from that. "I probably won't see you at the Elder's tomorrow, knowing the kids I probably won't show for at least a few days."

"Well it's not like you need to show up for those lessons anyways, right?" Emily asked him smugly, which the ex-Reaper actually managed to smirk at. "Take care of yourself, I'll see you around Ragna."

"Yeah, take care yourself," Ragna said as she walked out of the church. He thought about her words, about how this almost made him everyone's eldest sibling, just like things had been in the last church he'd grown in. He shuddered for a moment before trying to shake off the feeling of nostalgia and the darker memories that came with it.

Eventually some of the town's mothers started showing up, delivering food for the arriving children to eat and leaving some leftovers for Aaron to give them at later times. Ragna eventually went into the kitchen to eat his share of food and had just finished when Aaron called him and Eric forward.

"I want the two of you to start getting everyone ready to get some sleep," Aaron instructed. "Tomorrow is going to be a busy day and we're going to need everyone to be well rested."

"We can do that," Eric assured, before looking back to the table with was littered with dirty dishes and food stains. "But what about the dishes?"

"Just this once I'll handle them myself," the priest told them. "They'll start handling their own messes tomorrow, but for now I think the children have been through enough..."

"Fair enough," Ragna said as he headed into the bedroom and started laying out night clothes for the children to put on while Eric called everyone forward. It didn't take the kids long to be ready and many of them were happier than anything to have somewhere to sleep that was more comfortable than a wagon to sleep. Ragna was just about finished when he heard one of the children scream He quickly turned his head to see one of the smaller girls crying as she held a doll in her hand. "What's wrong?" he asked as he made his way over.

"My dolly's head came off!" she told him with tear filled eyes.

Ragna looked at the torn and dusty body of the doll in her hands and saw that the head was resting at her feet. He was about to tell her that it was time she got rid of it, but he realized this thing might be have been all she had to remember her home by. Gently taking the doll's body from her and grabbing the head from the floor, he grabbed a needle with some string from nearby and proceeded to sow the head back onto the body at a nearby desk he'd often used for reading.

"It's not the best patch job, but it'll hold it together," he told the little girl as he handed the doll back to her. "Just make sure you don't play too rough with it, otherwise the seams will undo. Got it?"

"Okay," the girl told him looking much happier now her doll had been repaired. She started to head off back to her bed, but turned and tackled into Ragna with a rather forceful hug, causing him to grunt when she made contact. "Thanks!"

"Rgh… Welcome," he muttered as he pushed her off of him. He was about to head over to his bed and flop into it, but another girl approached him in her new nightclothes. "Yeah?"

"I was hoping that you could fix my clothes…" she said meekly. What she'd worn when she gotten here was little more than rags that were filthy and badly torn. It'd take a lot of work to repair them and even then they wouldn't last long. Aaron could make her new clothes or buy some from the traders when they came around, but she still needed something to wear until then.

"Sure, but can I look at in the morning? I gotta… sleep," Ragna said, finishing his sentence slowly as he looked to the rest of the children. Almost all of them were holding raggedy clothing that looked about as torn as the girl's in front of him. "...Alright, alright, I'll get started. Bring 'em forward."

As the kids started bringing their clothes for him to fix, Ragna let out an inaudible groan. ' _This is gonna be such a pain in the a-'_ He couldn't finish that thought without remembering the last life; the hell that had been the churches fire, the suffering and agony he'd felt courtesy of Terumi, and all of the fights he'd had to suffer through until he'd erased himself by choice… At least here he had a fresh start away from all of that.

'... _Jeeze Ragna, be a little thankful, eh?_ ' he chided himself before giving a small smile. Grabbing the nearby pin and needle once more he began his work on the clothing, knowing it'd be a long night, but was happy nonetheless...


	2. Half-Blood

_**Blue I: Half-Blood**_

 _Seven Years Later_

Fourteen year old Ragna let out a mild sigh of relief as he put his equipment in the tools shed and headed off his village's farming grounds, his hair, skin, and linen clothes were dirty and roughed while his brow was covered in sweat from his day of manual labor. He'd started working in the fields a few years ago and in the time that his life had more or less become a mundane collection of tasks along with his training in order to maintain and improve his toned body. Like all of the other children, he was still staying with Aaron in the orphanage, but unlike them he kept thinking of moving on and getting out of the village to join the _Mage's Guild_ or at least do something other than being a farm boy and waiting for someone to visit the town in hopes of adopting a child as old as he was.

"Calling it a day?" he heard a voice behind him ask. Turning his head, Ragna saw Eric coming to talk to him. While Ragna had done his job to help with all of the children, he inevitably ended up spending the most time with Eric since was the closest in age. The former mayor's son had started working in the fields about the same time as Ragna had in order to help the town out of a growing food shortage. He was still shorter than Ragna, but his broad shoulders and hardened muscles certainly weren't lacking. "Seems a bit early for you to be heading off."

"The traders are supposed to come into town today, remember?" Ragna reminded as he cricked his neck and finally got rid of that painful cramp that had been bothering him for that last hour. "If I head back now I can help them unload the wagons and try to get some coin for it. I've already done more than my usual share of the work anyways."

"So that's why you worked through the lunch break," Eric said with a well knowing smile. "And here I thought it was because you didn't want any of Lilith's cooking."

"I'm sorry, but who was the one who taught her to cook in the first damn place?" Ragna asked rhetorically, rolling his eyes as he did.

Lilith, of course, was another of the orphans that were staying in Aaron's church. When she'd arrived she'd been close to youngest and most nervous of the lot, but thanks to watching Ragna cook and helping him prepare the meals, she currently did most of the cooking for the orphanage and took great pride in her work.

"Hey guys!" The two saw Emily coming down from the hills to greet them. Like he had with Eric, Ragna had remained on good terms with Emily ( though she still often teased him on never opening up among other things) and the three of them became their own little trio. While Ragna and Eric worked in the fields, Emily never really had any desire to become anyone's housewife so she'd begun to learn how to use her father's old hunting bow to help provide for her family. Unlike Ragna and Eric who dressed in linen, Emily often wore collected furs over light leathers in order to offer more protection and to help mask her scent from her prey.

"So the huntress returns," Eric said, earning a cocky smirk from Emily. "So what did you manage to net this time?"

"Unfortunately not much, all I managed to get were a couple of rabbits and squirrels," Emily told them as she looked at the game bag she was carrying, not noticing Ragna's slight cringe as he thought back to Rachel (who he'd called _Rabbit_ ) and Makoto (who was a squirrel beastkin). "I'm just heading back to skin these and see if they'll go well in my mom's stew. Hopefully the merchants will be as generous as last year."

"Let's hope so, I better get going if I'm going to get any money from them today," Ragna muttered as he headed off from his usual group.

"So what's he trying to save up for anyways? Hasn't he earned enough copper pieces with the extra work he does around the village?" Emily asked. In small farming communities like this one, most people conducted trade using physical goods and copper coins, occasionally silver when the merchants visited.

"Probably so that he can get some funds before leaving town with the caravan," Eric told her with a hint a sadness in his words. "He's been saying it to me a lot lately, I think this year he's serious about actually doing it."

"Well he's always been telling us if it wasn't for the village needing extra hands for the harvest he'd have already left by now," Emily said, a little sad to see him go herself. "Do you want to follow him?"

"To the Mage's Guild? You're joking; I can't make heads or tails of what magic even is and you think I can join a guild of magicians?"

"Well Ragna's never used magic before and he thinks he can join them, why can't you?" It was obvious that Emily had never seen Ragna use his powers of Azure before and Eric had kept his word to Ragna about staying silent after he'd been healed when the two had first met years ago.

"For one thing I'm not great with books, remember? It took Father Aaron forever to teach me how to read and even now I get my words mixed up," Eric told the huntress. "What about you? Don't you want to go with him?"

"I have a family that I need to provide for and I don't think my little brother would want to let me go," the huntress told him. "I should probably head out now anyway; got to get the pelts skinned and the meat in the stew if we're going to make good coin on day one."

"Yeah, I've got to get back to the fields anyhow," Eric told her. "Without Ragna helping us the rest of the day we'll have to pick up the slack to keep from looking bad. How the hell he's able to harvest like he does though is beyond me, maybe it's got something to do with the way he uses his scythe?"

 _ **Meanwhile**_

Ragna made his way to the town well were the merchants would soon be arriving. The place had plenty of room for them to park their wagons and set up shop. While the town didn't have too much money coming into it, there was always the occasional sweet or bottle of brandy that the merchants were willing to sell at a cheaper price than usual for a good bowl of food or some travelling rations. The ex-criminal thought that he'd be able to get some peace and quiet while he waited, but when he saw a certain someone taking notice of him he knew that the chance was gone.

"What the hell doing you think you're doing out of the fields? My father doesn't pay the orphanage for you to slack off!" Ruth shouted at Ragna with a nasty sneer. Ragna simply groaned and hoped he'd get this encounter over with already.

In the six years that had passed Ruth hadn't undergone anything resembling a positive change; now instead of bullying Ragna with verbal insults and bringing his cronies along for good measure, he often berated him for his work and used his father's authority as a wall to hide behind. Most of his lackeys had taken jobs in the village guard and he'd sometimes steal his father's liquor and go drinking with them, but with the few that had ended up in the fields he wouldn't give them a second glance or even acknowledge that he knew them. He often walked around the village making threats and was never seen without his father's ledger under his arm.

"Well… are you going to answer me or not?" Ruth shouted trying to get in Ragna's face, which wasn't working because Ragna had since become a half foot taller than him. With the continued silence he was receiving, Ruth threw a sloppy punch to Ragna's head which his target barely moved in order to dodge. Ruth was left stumbling and nearly fell to the floor.

"Still trying to land that first punch on me..." Ragna said with demeaning smirk as he shook his head. "If you didn't keep making a complete fool out of yourself I would've gotten tired of this a while ago."

"So you're not answering me, you're not being cooperative, and you're trying to antagonize me," Ruth said as he his angry expression changed to a more triumphant one. "As soon as we get done with this season's trading maybe I'll make a prison cell for you to rot in."

"And where the hell are you going to get the money? Your dad's got control of most of the copper in town and I doubt your allowance is that big," Ragna said as he crossed his arms and leaned against the well.

"I'm going to have control of that money soon enough, he's already letting me do the big bartering deals with the traders this time around. You should do everyone a favor and get out of town, it's not like anyone's gonna miss y-"

"Ragna!" Both young men turned their heads to the source of the voice and saw Lilith running up to the well with a small leather sack in her hands. "I've got your lunch for you!" Lilith stood at about a head shorter than Ragna and always had her black hair cut short so that it wouldn't get in the way when she was cooking. While she she wasn't overweight, she was a bit more rounded than the other girls, which was fitting for a cook.

"Eh? How'd you know that I didn't have lunch?" Ragna questioned as he took the bag that she was holding out for him. Inside was a loaf of bread, some preserved meat, and a filled water skin.

"I saw that you left your food on the table after you left to work," she told him with a large smile on her face. "The Father wouldn't let me take it to you until I got lunch ready for everyone else though, so sorry you're eating this late."

"Oh… thanks," he said a bit sheepishly as he took the bread out and took a large bite out of it. While he began eating he couldn't help but notice the smug look that Ruth was giving him. "What's your problem?"

"Just thinking how sad the ladies of the orphanage are if they all think that they have to settle for a bastard like you," he said with a smug tone, causing Ragna to groan and Lilith to glare at him. "I mean really, they think that you're the best that they can do, the unwanted son without a family to his name. You're really just a-"

"Ragnaaaaaa!" The man of the hour didn't even have time to turn to the source of the voice before he was tackled in by Hilda, a girl from the village who'd come to fetch water. Lilith appeared to only get angrier as Hilda latched onto Ragna's arm and refused to let go while Ruth sputtered on his unfinished sentence in surprise. "It's been forever since we've seen each other!"

"Forever? I saw you two days ago," Ragna said passively.

"Yeah, and that's forever to be away from you! Were you avoiding me you big meany?" Hilda said gleefully as she continued to hold onto Ragna's arm and smile. Her long, bright blond hair and deep blue eyes were certainly rare in the village and attracted a lot of attention from the boys.

"...Mind letting go of my arm; it's kind of hard to eat with you clinging on like that," the ex-Reaper said as he tried to keep his blush down. Ruth was about to try addressing both of the girls with another demeaning remark, but before he could even begin…

"Oh Ragna! Fancy running into you here!" a girl with a basket full of vegetables said as she passed by the well and smiled.

"Hey Sora," Ragna awkwardly greeted as he tried to get Hilda to let go of his arm with minimal success. "Getting food ready for the traders?"

"Yep, just getting some of the ingredients over so we can make a feast," Sora told him cheerfully. Though Ragna hadn't taught her anything she was a fairly good chef herself and often played a prominent role in the kitchens with Ragna whenever the village's festival season rolled around. Her light brown hair was tied behind her to keep it out of her eyes and despite being a cook she had a very thin frame. At this point Ruth was praying that this wouldn't progress the way it been, but of course his punishment came in full."You know I actually came up with the new soup recipe just a few days ago. I can make some if you want to come over and try it."

"I might be busy these next couple of days…" Ragna began as he tried to turn her offer down.

"Hey! Are you trying to steal my favorite customer from me!?" Lilith demanded as she stormed over to Sora. "Show the soup to your family or something, I need Ragna for help with my harvest festival recipes!"

"You have an entire orphanage for that!" Sora heatedly argued back. "Ragna's got the best tastes in the village so I need him to make sure my recipe is perfect! And Hilda! Get off his arm already!"

"Nope!" Hilda said simply with her bright smile as she refused to let go of Ragna.

"...I actually need my arm to eat lunch," he tried to tell her, but to no avail. He then heard something that sound like a mixture of gasping for air and choking on spit and turned to find Ruth stuttering on his words and doing just that. Seeing his constant antagonist in such a state, Ragna allowed himself a snarky smile. "No one would miss me huh?"

Ruth tried his hardest to come up with something, any form of rebuttal or insult to Ragna and the girls, but in the end he simply had no other choice but to growl and storm away. With Ruth out of the picture, the azure eyed youth gave a well earned chuckle. Even with the patience he'd eventually gotten as he'd matured in his last life, Ragna couldn't begin to count the number of times he'd wanted to hit the brat in the face. He couldn't of course, not without stirring up trouble for Aaron or the others in the orphanage, but seeing Ruth's pride crushed so viciously had certainly made it worth his while.

Eventually the girls left and not a minute afterwards the trader's covered and ox driven wagons started to appear in the village. After watching them park in their usual places, Ragna headed around the wagons looking to see if he could find any of them that needed his help setting up. Sadly, most of the merchants weren't looking for help and brushed him off.

' _Well that's just great,'_ Ragna thought to himself with an exasperated sigh. ' _Here I was hoping that I'd be able to make some extra coin today, but all I'm stuck with is my regular._ ' Figuring that there was nothing else to do but hoping he'd at least get a meager earning today, he headed over to the last cart that had come into town. "Oi! Jonathan! You in?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming out oh spiteful one," came a voice from inside the wagon. Ragna waited patiently as Jonathan Songsworn came out of his wagon while carrying an open crate full of silks and other fine goods. "Here to help an old man out of the goodness in the heart or looking to make some coin?"

"What do you think?" Ragna asked with a small smirk as the merchant placed the crate a short distance from his wagon.

Jonathan was about Aaron's age, but where the Father had a black grizzled beard his was white and long like his hair. As usual Jonathan was dressed in his brown travelling cloak and had his beloved lute strapped to his waist. Before he'd become a merchant he'd traveled the lands as a performing minstrel, playing anywhere he could to make the coin to eat. Nowadays he never sang and hardly ever performed, but Ragna was always eager to listen to whatever tale he had to tell even if most of the village thought the stories were completely outlandish.

"So are you actually going through with leaving the village this year or is there going to be another season in the harvest?" the merchant asked with curiosity.

"I'm hoping that this is going to be the year that I finally get out of here," Ragna told him. "Now I'm old enough for Aaron will let me go, I've got enough coin to last me until something better comes around, and the fields are finally back to normal." He headed over to the back of the covered wagon to begin helping Jonathan unload, but was surprised to see a small hooded child about half his size sitting inside the wagon. It turned to look at Ragna for a moment, but quickly shied away. He narrowed his eyes, something about the hooded figure felt… different. "Jonathan? You've got company back here."

"Indeed I do. Come out child, no need to be frightened." While the child did come out of the back of the wagon, it immediately ran and hid behind Jonathan so that Ragna couldn't get a proper look at it. "You'll have to pardon little Silvana here, she's rather shy around strangers ever since we found her. Poor child's mother had died from sickness, but I'm taking her to stay with Aaron for the time being."

"Another orphan then," Ragna said with a small sigh. "Anything I can do to help?"

"You could unload my cart for me," Jonathan told him. "The sooner she and I talk to Aaron the better and I want to get my wares out as soon as possible, so set my store for me and I'll double your pay from last time."

"A whole six copper? Deal," the azure eyed youth said as he looked to the inside of the cart. "So what do you want to set out this year?"

"Just put out everything, the caravan's not going to be leaving this town for another week at least," Jonathan said as he took Silvana's hand and lead her away from the wagon.

' _A week?_ ' Ragna thought to himself as he continued unloading the wagon. ' _Weird... normally they only stay here a couple of days at most.'_ Ragna shook his head and tried to keep his mind focused on his work so that he'd have earned the money Jonathan was paying him.

 _ **Later**_

It was dark by the time Ragna finally made it back to the orphanage. After he'd finished setting up for Jonathan shop and getting paid he'd gone to his usual spot in the woods to continue his training and refine his _Azure_ techniques. With another long day behind him, he was ready to put his feet up and get some sleep for another day of working in the fields. Ragna hadn't even finished taking his shoes off before Eric came from the other room to greet him.

"You're finally back," he said as a casual form of greeting. "Out practicing?"

"Like usual," Ragna told him. "What'd Lilith make for dinner?"

"Just vegetable soup; she wants to save the rest of our meat to make something special for the festival," Eric told him before shaking his head. "And of course she made us all leave a little food for you in the end."

"Nice," Ragna said with a victorious smile; he'd figured that he'd have to miss dinner tonight since he'd decided to stay late to train so managing to get an already made meal was just a bonus to top today off.

"Before you eat Father said that he wanted to see you," Eric told him, causing Ragna to pause. "He's waiting for you in the study with that new kid, dunno what he wants."

"Did he seem upset?" Ragna had to ask.

"Not really, but he seemed a bit more annoyed than usual." Hearing his best friend groan in annoyance Eric gave a small laugh. "Good luck, I've got a feeling that you're gonna need it."

"No kidding," Ragna muttered as he headed off to the church's study. He passed by the dormitory where all of the children were dressed for bed and were talking or playing with their toys while a few candles kept the room lit. "Do me a favor would ya and extinguish the candles? Aaron probably only let them stay up 'cause I was out anyways."

"I can do that, but can't you just put the candles out after you talk to the father and get into bed?"

"And have to help you put the entire orphanage to bed? Pass. 'Sides; stars are out, moon's bright, and there's a nice soft wind. Sleeping outside sounds like a dream right now." He entered the office and gave a small smirk to Eric. "Nice try though."

"Almost had him…" Eric groaned as his friend entered the study. "Is it wrong that I want Father to chew him out, just a little?"

Inside the study, Ragna gently closed the door so that he wouldn't make any sudden sounds. He found father Aaron reclining in his rocking chair with his eyes gently closed as he rocked himself back and forth. Silvana was sitting a short distance away from him and didn't even try to to make eye contact with him as she looked into one of the books, her hood from earlier still covering her head. Ragna figured that she was simply looking at illustrations of the different gods and goddesses, but taking a closer look he found that she was looking through one of the few novels that the Priest owned, one that didn't have any pictures.

"She can read?" Ragna questioned, leading for Aaron to bring his elderly eyes to narrow open with his gaze directed at him.

" _Silvana_ has a name Ragna," Aaron responded strictly, getting the silver haired youth to acknowledge his mistake with a slow nod. "You missed dinner again."

"Lilith saved some for me, I'll eat as soon as I get out of here," Ragna told his caretaker.

"Of course she made sure you ate, just like she brought you the lunch that you left here," Aaron said as he shook his head with disappointment. "If it weren't for that girl you'd have starved to death by now."

"I'm pretty sure I'd have managed," Ragna told him, remembering earlier that morning when Sora was trying to get him to come for dinner. "So is that all you're calling me for?"

"Hardly, it has to do with Silvana," Aaron said as he gazed at the girl from where he sat. "I've introduced her to the others and their meeting seemed... awkward. She was too shy to say anything and the children were too unnerved by her hood to get near her. I doubt they'll be able to sleep in the same room, so I'm putting her in the guest quarters for now."

"Well that sucks, but what do you want me to do about it? I'm still working in the fields until harvest is over and then-"

"And then you plan to depart with Jonathan after the festival, I'm aware," Aaron interrupted. "I'm keeping you out of the fields for the rest of the harvest; the town will be finished shortly with or without your help. As of right now, Silvana's your responsibility."

"Mine?" Ragna demanded as he glanced to the girl who still had her head buried in her book. "Why bother? I'm heading out of town soon so she'll have to spend time with the others anyways."

"According to Jonathan, that won't be the case," the priest began. "She's only staying with us until the merchants leave the city. Afterwards Jonathan will be taking her with the rest of the caravan and send her to the Mage's Guild."

"She- Silvana's going to the Mage's Guild? You mean that she's ready to learn magic at her age?" Ragna questioned as he glanced down to the hooded girl who was continuing to read.

"Indeed, so I'd suggest you two try to get to know each other a little better since you'll likely be seeing a lot of each from here on out… provided you make it into the guild yourself." The silver haired youth rolled his eyes, fairly confident he could take on whatever challenge the guild was going to send his way. "Show Silvana to her room, you'll start watching her tomorrow after breakfast."

"Got it, got it," Ragna said as opened the door to guide Silvana. While she still kept her distance from him, the young newcomer did rise from the floor with the book and followed him as he brought her to the guest room. "There isn't much here, but make yourself at home."

Silvana stayed silent as she walked forward into her room and glanced around, trying to absorb the details of the place she'd be staying in. It was small, but it had a bed, a nightstand, and a small lantern for light which was currently unlit.

"Want to stay up and read for a bit?" Ragna asked the young girl. She nodded so he grabbed one of the lit lanterns from the hallway and used it to light the one in Silvana's room. "That should give you enough light to read in," he said as he set the lantern back and stood on the outside of the doorway. "Just be sure not to stay up too late; the others have a tendency to be loud in the mornings so you'll-"

"Eyes."

"Eh?" It was the first time that Ragna had heard the child speak, but her voice didn't sound that childish. It had a strange calm and emotionless to it, which would have reminded him of Rachel had he not known better. Now that she had her gaze fixed on his face, he could actually piece together what she looked like under the hood.

Her skin was a fair shade, just a tone pinker than his own. Her eyes were a bright and full sky blue that seemed to be fixed on him with all of the curiosity of a young child. Though the hood still covered most of it, Ragna could see barely noticeable clump of bright pink hair; a hair color that he'd never encountered in this world.

"Eyes," Silvana said again, not bothering to expand any more as she continued to stare at Ragna.

"Eyes? You mean mine?" he asked, trying to figure out what she was getting at. "What about 'em?"

"...Scary." She closed the door after addressing Ragna again using only a single word. He stood outside the doorway in surprise for a moment before shaking his head and heading into the kitchen to prepare himself the food Lilith had saved for him.

 _ **The Next Day**_

Ragna gave a loud yawn and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he groggily rose off his back from where he'd been sleeping. The tall grass near the church had been plenty soft and provided him with a decent makeshift bed for the night. Letting a low groan he used his right arm to pull his head over, resulting in a satisfying collection of pops. Sighing a breath of relief he came to a completed stand, just as he realized he wasn't alone in the dark outside.

' _Someone's out here with me? How the hell didn't I wake up when I sensed them?_ ' Ragna thought as he looked around. He noticed a vague presence of life surrounding him and he soon realized it was coming from the top of the church. ' _What the hell is someone doing on the roof this early in the morning?_ '

Sighing to himself, Ragna headed over and leapt to the roof in a single well placed jump. Since he was careful about where he landed there was no danger on the roof falling in on itself. Once he was up there he saw Silvana casually sitting and staring out into the sky, her hood on as always.

"How'd you get up here?" Ragna asked, knowing there wasn't a clear foothold or any other easy way to get to the roof. "Better yet why are you up here?"

"Sunrise," Silvana told him, again answering his question with only a single response.

"You're out here to watch the sunrise?" Ragna questioned and the young girl nodded. "And you came to the church's roof to get the best view of it?" Another nod. "Good grief, you're crazy kid."

As soon as he had said those words, the first of the rays of the sun started to shine over the distant mountain peaks. As Ragna turned his gaze to follow Silvana's a soft gust of wind blew threw the area, gently carrying leaves from the surrounding trees. The sun's rise was a slow one, but Silvana seemed to take in every detail of it. Only once the sun had cleared the mountains and the children below began to stir did she rise from where she'd been sitting.

"Ready to get down?" Ragna asked, just a split second before Silvana leapt off the roof. "Hey! What're you-!?"

The reincarnated Reaper was then hit by a much stronger breeze, one nearly strong enough to cause him to lose his footing atop the slanted roof. A small whirlwind had formed under Silvana's feet, one that greatly slowed her descent as she fell to the ground. She landed on her feet with ease before looking up at Ragna like she was expecting him to follow her.

"So you really do know magic, you could've saved me the worry at least," he muttered with a sigh before he leapt from the roof and landed on the ground beside her. "Come on kid, let's grab some food."

"Outside," she said vaguely, causing Ragna to again have to question her.

"You mean you want to eat outside, away from the others?" he asked and was rewarded yet again with a single nod. "...Alright, alright, just wait here and I'll grab the food."

Heading inside Ragna passed by several of the other orphans who were groggily getting out of their beds or heading to the outhouse to relieve themselves. Heading over to the pantry, Ragna grabbed out two loaves of day old bread, some regular farm vegetables, and two apples.

"I see you're not waiting for Lilith to make you breakfast," Father Aaron said as he made his way into the pantry. "Just a meal for the two of you then?"

"Silvana doesn't want to see the others, so we'll eat outside," Ragna told his elderly caretaker as he grabbed two bowls to put all of the food inside.

"You're not already having second thoughts about this are you?" Aaron said as he picked at his beard. Ragna hesitated for a moment, but eventually shook his head. "Good, because as far as things stand currently you're the only one that I can trust."

"And why's that?"

"Two reasons; the first because you're obviously the least uncomfortable with Silvana's hood." Ragna could understand where the elderly priest had come up with that conclusion, but he still couldn't help but feel that it was a strange one. Before moving on to the second reason, Aaron quickly glanced around the pantry to make sure no one else was within hearing distance, though he still whispered into Ragna's ear. "The second reason is because of her latent ability as a mage. You remember the story of _Vizulla the Demoness?_ "

"Think I napped through most of that story in class honestly, but something about a sorceress a couple of decades back that destroyed the old town with her army of soldiers?"

"That's the sloppy and short version, but yes. A magic user invaded, enslaved, and destroyed the town that stood where we now live. That story is still told in the village to this day giving them a distaste for magic users. They're fine with the idea of you learning magic since you've been raised here, but an outsider like her… well best not think about that."

"Got it; I'll keep quite," Ragna reaffirmed. "I better get back outside before she wonders what's taking me so long."

"Oh, and I don't want you to lose track of her, so none of your training while you're watching Silvana." Ragna went rigid at Aaron's words and he lost his grip on the bowls. Their contents would have fallen all over the floor if Ragna hadn't been ready to catch them thanks to his reflexes. It wasn't often that the Father smirked, but Ragna always hated it when he did. "...Might I have struck a nerve?"

"Be quiet…" he groaned as he carried the food out of the pantry to take to Silvana, trying to figure out how Aaron had discovered him training… and just how much the Father knew.

 _ **Later -The Merchant's Camp**_

Jonathan sat atop an empty crate that he'd used to hold his wares, relaxing his body as he smoked on his favorite pipe and waited for the townspeople to start their day of exchanging wares. Ragna had done his job of setting up the temporary shop so there had been very little to do, mostly just a few rearrangements in order to go the store a bit more visually appealing.

All five in the merchant carts sold a specific set of wares or services, meaning that would be little competition or conflict between them in order to make profit. They had Kenneth the blacksmith and convoy leader, Edward the leatherworker, Markus the elderly apothecary (someone who dealt in potions), Marian who dealt in selling fine rugs and silks, and then there was of course Jonathan himself. He dealt in a bit of a mixed set of wares; he sold pieces of parchment, ink, and quills which would be useful for squires, but he also sold lutes, harps and books on music that would be useful for travelers hoping to become bards. However, his most popular product that he sold by far were his own crafted sweets, small delectables that were beloved by child and adult alike. It was his main source of revenue and it paid rather well around festival time.

Anyways, while the rest of the merchants were awaiting for the day ahead, Jonathan saw Ragna and Silvana approaching his cart. Silvana was still keeping her distance from her apparent guide as her guide kept his face void of much emotion.

"You two seems close," Jonathan said with a small hint of whimsy in his sarcastic words. "What brings you to my humble shop?"

"Just checking in I guess," Ragna said with a shrug as he looked over the wares Jonathan was offering, despite having set most of them out the day before. "Silvana said she wanted to see you… at least that's what I think she wanted, pretty damn hard to tell what someone wants when they only say one word at a time."

"She's already talking to you? Seems she likes you more than I would've thought," Jonathan teased again, leading Ragna to give a low and annoyed growl through his teeth. "You'll learn to cope with her ways of speaking, you'll have to if the two of you are going to be travelling with each other… Perhaps you could take her fishing up north, the lake doesn't have too many fish in it this time of year, but I have two fishing rods that you can borrow and some bait you can use."

"Might as well," Ragna said, again shrugging as he looked down to his charge. "Got a problem with that kid?"

"No," Silvana said as she looked up at Ragna.

"Guess we'll do that then… by the way, that jerk Ruth said that he's going to be handling the big trades this year. That true or was he just blowing steam?"

"Hard to say, we likely won't be doing the larger trades with the town until we've had a few days to sell our smaller wares. My guess is the larger trades won't start until we get close to the festival… more time for us to work with."

"Why are you staying so long anyways?" Ragna questioned as Jonathan headed inside his wagon to grab the fishing rods for the two. "Since you normally only spend a couple of days at most it seems odd that you'd spend an entire week here, so what brought the change on?"

"Reports among the merchant's guild have suggested that there's a large band of bandits in the area attacking merchant convoys among the Balio town path… But since this little village is a good distance away from Balio town it should have nothing to worry about." Jonathan added that last part in when he noticed Ragna's look of concern. "But what's weird about it is though they've found the wreckage of several of the caravan's there have been signs of some valuables left over and no bodies to accompany them; very odd for bandits, to say the least."

"So you're waiting a week then because of that?" Ragna asked with doubt as the merchant returned with the fishing rods. "Is your plan just to wait for the bandits to move on? 'Cause that seems kind of…"

"Stupid." Ragna blinked before turning to Silvana who'd somehow managed to guess what he'd been about to say perfectly.

"Look at you! You've barely known her for a half a day and she's already finishing your sentences for you!" Jonathan said before giving a hoarse laugh, causing Ragna to groan in annoyance while Silvana remained rather passive. "In all seriousness though you're right, it would be stupid, which is why we're going to meeting with a group of mercenaries at a roadside inn a little to the north for protection."

"You could've just said that in the first place," Ragna groaned as he took the fishing rods and bait from the old merchant. "Well I guess we'll head out for the lake then, see you old timer."

"Take care of yourself, and remember I get half of whatever you end up catching."

"When was that part of the deal!?" Ragna shouted.

"Well I am letting you take the fishing rods, giving you bait to use, AND letting you ride in my wagon when we travel to the mage's guild," Jonathan listed out with another victorious smile on his elderly face. "Be sure to catch a nice and big one! It's been forever since I've enjoyed fish meat!"

"Good grief," Ragna muttered as he walked off, only pausing for a short moment when he heard a small squeaking noise coming from Silvana. Had he not known better, he would've sworn it had been a giggle…

 _ **Meanwhile**_

' _Twenty-seven years and it's still beyond me where they get all of this energy_ ,' Aaron thought to himself as he watched the children kick a leather ball around, laughing as they ran. ' _...Then again, when it comes time for them to clean up after themselves all of that energy seems to just slip away._ '

While the traders were in town and the children were eager to look at whatever wares they were offering, Aaron had offered to watch the children from the village as well as the ones from the orphanage. The parents had only been too happy take him up on that offer, now able to scour the wares offered without their children pleading to buy toys, sweets, or anything else they'd desire.

"Father Aaron…" Aaron turned his head to the source of the voice and found Ruth with his ledger in his arm and a smug look upon his face. "We need to talk."

"If you wish to speak with me, do so when I'm not busy with the children," Aaron demanded as he turned his attention back to the kids and their play. "Besides, I heard that your father saw fit to send you to negotiate with the merchant caravan this year, shouldn't you be talking with them?"

"Negotiate? What kind of game do you think I was playing?" Ruth asked as he spread his arms and looked to the sky, as would an actor in his defining moment of a play. "I had them at an disadvantage, they're staying in town a full week for a reason and I found out because they had no choice; they NEED to wait because of the dangerous bandits out on the prowl."

"Hmph, so you intend to take advantage of that," the priest of Reslavia summarized, not seeming at all impressed. "So how much damage do you image you'll deal to our quaint little farming village?"

"Damage? You really don't understand anything you old fool," Ruth said as his cocky sneer grew. "I'll get them to PAY for staying in town and to be defended by our own personal town guard. We'll make double than what me managed to get from selling our crops last year and something tells me there's even more money to be made."

"...Tell me Ruth, have you ever heard of the saying that you missed the forest for the trees?" Hearing the young lad chuckle as he shook his head, Aaron continued. "It means that you're too focused on reaping immediate gains, you don't plan for the future and the consequences your decisions could have."

"You think I'll drive the merchants away with my dealings? Who needs this batch?" Ruth gave a dark chuckle that reeked of greed. "With the extra money we made here we can _expand_ ; make this crummy and nameless farming village into an actual town. We won't have to rely on the traders every year when we can provide for ourselves. My father's already eager to get started, within a few years we'll be a bustling city!"

"You'd be changing the entire village's way of life, ending a millennia of tradition that could was only ever shaken once. You'd impose your own will on the very community that raised you." The Father struggled to keep his words calm in order to keep the playing children from worrying, but the slight tinge of aggression was apparent in every word.

"I'd be helping them grow, but it won't a problem either way. If any of them would prefer to remain with their dreary lives as farmers it's their problem. And if they hate the town I'm creating that much, they're free to leave… it's their choice." Ruth smile only seemed to be growing as he tried using some of the father's very principles of his belief against him. "Speaking of leaving, that brings me to you…"

"I don't intend to go anywhere," Aaron threatened as he glanced back to the children. The conversation was beginning to worry them as they stared at the both of them until Aaron waved them away.

"It's not exactly that I want you gone Father, it's that I want that church of yours empty," Ruth said as he began opening his ledger. "I've been going through our records and my father's been donating _plenty_ of money towards you and that little church of yours, money that you've used to provide a good life for the children no doubt… Ah, here's the section I was looking for. Let's see… in total I'd say over all of the years you've been here my families given you… 9 gold."

"What!?" Aaron's blood grew cold as the amount given was enough to make him numb.

Gold coins were worth far more than the six copper Ragna had earned for himself the day previous. To give you an idea, consider a loaf of freshly baked bread to be the equivalent of a single copper in this village (it would cost much more elsewhere). Now, 30 of those little coppers would be equal to the worth of a single piece of silver and 15 silver pieces would be equivalent to a gold coin. For a village that mainly used copper pieces the use of even a single gold piece was unheard of.

"Now normally the money given would be considered a donation, but since my father had bothered to write all of times he's given to you in this ledger it looks like more of a loan," Ruth said. "Who knows, _maybe_ when we've expanded enough we can let you run your orphanage again, but now we're going to need a place for our incoming builders to stay in… and as far as I can tell you're no closer to getting those children adopted."

"That's there's been a lack of interest in adoptions lately," the orphan's caretaker told the over privileged teenager. "Since the children first came to our small little village we've only had seven total visits from hopeful parents to be."

"And of those seven you managed to send how many away? Two? Why could that be Father Aaron? Were you too hesitant to get rid of a few of your _choir boys?_ "

"Watch. Your. Mouth." Aaron could take a lot of insults (part of the reason Ragna hadn't been kicked out yet), but implying what Ruth had was taking it several leagues too far. With a menacing glare he stood so that he was towering over his instigator. "If you'll excuse me, I have my _children_ to attend to. Don't you ever come near my church until you decide to grow a sliver of morality."

"It won't be your church for long!" Ruth called after the Priest. "You've got until the merchants leave! It's the children or your home!"

"That arrogant little…" Aaron fumed as he gripped his fist tightly.

"Father Aaron?" Alexander, one of the younger orphaned children asked as he tugged his robes with a little hand. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine child, it's nothing to concern yourself with," the Father told him with a reassuring smile as he lead the children away from Ruth. "Let's head back to the church and see if Lilith's needs help with lunch. Maybe we can visit the merchants afterwards and see what they're selling this year."

"Okay!" the smiling child said as he ran of to gather the other, leaving their caretaker following slowly behind, concern weighing heavily on his shoulders.

"Lady Reslavia grant me strength," Aaron prayed aloud as he walked. "These children won't be forgotten or abandoned… I'll make sure of that."

 _ **Later -The Lake-**_

Ragna gave a soft yawn from where he lay in the soft grasses at the edge of the village's lake, his fishing pole already baited, cast, and stuck in the ground in front of him. He'd been fishing before, and while it certainly wasn't the most exciting thing in the world he could at least always use it as an excuse to get extra sleep in.

' _Damn, this is peaceful,'_ Ragna thought to himself. ' _Normally whenever I have any time to myself I go out to the woods and train my skills, so its been a while since I could just lie out in the sun and take a nap. Takes me back to when I was with Taokaka.'_

His peaceful thoughts were interrupted as he felt a tiny finger tapping him on the shoulder. Non-chalantly opening one of his azure eyes, he saw Silvana looking over him with a tiny pout on her face.

"...What's your problem?" he asked from where he lay before moving his open eye downwards and seeing that she'd brought her fishing rod out of the water. "Giving up already? We haven't been here that long, have some patience."

"Bored," she said, keeping her pout visible and seeming to be more annoyed. "No fish."

' _She used two words in a sentence that time,'_ Ragna thought to himself before shaking his head. "Look, we promised Jonathan we'd bring him some fish back after heading out and we don't have any yet. You can't rush these things."

"...I can," was what she said in response, right before violent gusts of wind start to flow around her, having enough force to be barely visible as teal colored blade.

"Whoa! Let's hold off with that for now!" Ragna shouted as he immediately leapt to his feet. "Using your magic here is just gonna cause problems Silv, if someone else finds out what you can do with it they'll run you out of the village." Silvana didn't seem to like it, but she did allow the winds to slowly die down before fading completely. "That's better. You know the sunlight feels really nice now, you should take your hood off."

Ragna hadn't even finished his sentence before he heard a yelp come out of Silvana's mouth, one that actually seemed fittingly young and girlish compared to her earlier monotone words. The young girl had skirted a good distance away from him, protectively covering her head to not let her hood be pulled off as she looked at Ragna in terror.

"Alright, alright, I won't take your hood off," he promised, raising his hands to say 'my bad.' Silvana wasn't buying it and continued to edge slowly away from Ragna. "I said I won't do anything to your hood!" he called again, but no response. "Jeeze, just what the hell's your problem with me anyways?"

"Eyes."

"This again?" he muttered in annoyance. "Okay then, next question; WHY do you think my eyes are so scary?" Silvana didn't respond to the question, but with the confused look she was giving as she turned away Ragna was beginning to suspect she really didn't know. "Good grief, well do whatever you need to feel safe, I'm gonna keep fishing until we get a couple of bites."

"...Still bored," the young hooded girl said. Normally at this point Ragna would've gotten angry, but there was just something about this girl that made him pause, maybe it was the fact that besides Jonathan and Aaron she didn't have anyone else to turn to. For now Ragna decided he'd try his best and keep his cool.

"How 'bout a story?" he offered as he took a seat in front of his fishing rod which remained in the ground in front of him. At the mention of a story Silvana's eyes seemed to light up as she eagerly nodded. "Okay… You ever hear of _The Drunk King and the Sick Bard?_ " Ragna had remembered being told that tale by Jonathan, so he wasn't to surprised that Silvana knew it. "How about _The Traveler's Three Tests?_ "

Again she nodded, indicating that she'd heard the story before. Ragna then went on to list all of the stories he'd heard around town or had read in the church's small library. She'd heard them all, even some of the most bizarre ones that he'd had trouble making sense of. It was like she was an encyclopedia on the world's lore.

' _So she obviously knows more stories than I do,'_ Ragna thought to himself. ' _This sucks, it looked like she really wanted to know a new story, but the only other one I know is…_ ' "Hey, I have an idea, but… I sort of made the story myself. That okay?"

"Made?" she repeated, cocking her head to the side a little. She seemed to be pondering what kind of story Ragna could have made up. Eventually she gave a small nod and sat besides him, leading Ragna to clear his throat.

"Right, now this was a hard story to make, so listen up," he said with a rather cocky smirk. "This is the story of the _Six Heroes..._ "

For the next while Ragna retold the very legend he'd been sent back to the past to create. He recounted the details as best he could, describing _Valkenhayn the King of Wolves, The Great Sage Nine, Trinity Glassfield the Platinum Alchemist, Jubei the One-Eyed Lotus, The Just Sword Hakumen…_ and _Yuuki Terumi_. Recapping it from a story teller's perspective was more than a little strange and he occasionally had to charge certain terms on the fly, but at he managed to tell the tale.

" _And using the sword gifted to him by Nine, Hakumen finally slayed the Black Beast and ended the Dark War. The world was saved and efforts soon went to rebuilding all of the destruction that had resulted due to the Beast. Though they'd saved the world, the Six Heroes vanished and…_ Well, that's a story for another time," Ragna said as he finished the story. "So what'd think?"

"...What happened? …To... Bloodedge?" Silvana asked struggling to make a sentence that was more than her two word limit.

"...He was gone," Ragna said after hesitating before looking up in the sky. "He died to the _Black Beast_ and the truth was only a few people even knew that he'd stopped the Beast in the first place… Kinda sucks I guess."

"Ragna," the young girl said to him. Unlike any of the other times he saw that she was actually looking him in the eyes, not shying her gaze away and looking at another part of his face.

"What is it?" he demanded, feeling a little uncomfortable under her unblinking stare.

"...Ragna… the Bloodedge..."

' _What_?' he thought worriedly, about to go into a cold sweat. ' _H-how the hell does she even come up with that!? I just created a storybook character based off my past life! Does she really know where I'm really from? How could she HAVE known where I was from!?_ '

"Good name," she said before giving Ragna a big smile. He was unsure how to respond to her statement so he sort of just stared at Silvana with a deer in the headlights expression. He didn't even seem to register the fact that his fishing rod was shaking until she told him. "Fish."

"R-right," Ragna said as he strolled over and awkwarded retrieved his catch from the waters. It was well above average in size and looked like it would make an awesome meal… but he was still too unsettled by Silvana. Just what was she?

 _ **Later -The Orphanage-**_

It was close to dinner time when Ragna and Silvana finally made it back to the orphanage. After Ragna's story telling, the two had oddly began catch fish much more frequently than they had before it, managing to catch six that Ragna had thought were decent enough for eating. They'd already returned their equipment and given his choice of three of the fish to Jonathan, so now all that was left was to bring the other three back to the orphanage and cook them up for the others. Once he'd made it inside and taken his leather shoes off, Ragna turned adress his young companion.

"Listen, I know you don't really get along with the others so if you want to go read in your room go ahead. I can take these to Lilith and bring you your food when it's time." Nodding to his suggestion, Silvana headed for the guest room and shut the door to resume the book she'd taken the night previous. Walking into the kitchen Ragna found Lilith busy starting her preparations for dinner. "So what's on the menu tonight?"

Upon hearing him, Lilith turned to face Ragna with a smile which only seemed to grow when she saw the basket of fish he was carrying. "I was beginning to wonder where you were. You weren't in the fields today so I thought you'd have run off like you normally do."

"Nope, had to go fishing with that new kid," Ragna said as he handed the chef the basket. "She's a weird one, but I guess she's alright…" Glancing at the dining table he saw most of the children helping to set their bowls and washing up, but their was no sign of the Father. "So what happened to Aaron; normally he's here helping with setting the table."

"I don't really know, he's been in his study since lunch ended, leaving the kids to watch themselves."

"That doesn't sound like him at all," he said with a slightly worried voice as he narrowed his eyes. "See you Lilith."

"Oh, Ragna can you-" she was about to say, but Ragna had already left and was headed for Aaron's study. "Aw… I wanted to make dinner with him, just the two of us."

Inside his study Aaron let out a sigh as he looked over a map of the surrounding territories. He knew there was no way he'd have nine gold in order to pay off his supposed debt to Ruth's family, but he was resolved to put the children first, hence he was looking at map to see where he could leave the children to ensure their safety. Options now were slim; the few orphanages that were close by were in large cities and likely already overflowing with unclaimed children and the further locations would be a long and dangerous journey that still result in wasted effort.

"Hey, you in?" Aaron heard Ragna's voice from outside his study call. "Old man are you in?"

"Come in, come in," Aaron said with a sigh and the door slowly opened revealing his eldest charge. "The other's always call me by the title I ask them to, so why don't you?"

"Don't care much for titles, even for the small ones," Ragna said before smirking. "Plus, this way it'll be that much easier for you not to miss me. But enough about that, Lilith said you've been holed up here since lunch so…"

"You got worried? About me?" Aaron said before giving that rare smirk Ragna hated. "Are you sure I'm the one who'd have trouble saying goodbye?"

"Tch! Keep thinking that," Ragna muttered before seeing the map on Aaron's desk. "So what's that you're working on? ...Aaron?"

' _...I can't tell him,_ ' the priest thought to himself darkly as he looked over the map. ' _He's wanted to follow his own dreams ever since his seventh summer when he heard about the Mage's Guild. The earliest anyone's been known to apply for the mage's guild was ten years of age and he missed that chance because of the lack of farmers for the year's harvest. He could have left with Jonathan and likely would have if work hadn't needed to be done. And if I tell him that Ruth's the one who's threatening me that could just lead to more trouble. If he did something drastic or even as simple as standing up to him, Ruth's family might be able to bring in soldiers with promises of silver and other deals… This has to be my fight as Priest of this church, not his._ '

"Hey, anyone awake in there?" Ragna said as he waved his hand in front of the Father's face, causing Aaron to blink a few times before glaring at him. "Seriously, what's with you today? I've never seen you so out of it."

"I was thinking about something important for you journey," Aaron told him, which wasn't a lie. Knowing that he had another map to use, the priest rolled up the one on the table and handed it to Ragna. "I want you to have this map for your travels. It should be a straight path to the Guild, but I want you to be prepared regardless."

"Oh… thanks then," Ragna said as he took a look at the map in his hand. "You sure this thing is up to date?"

"For the surrounding areas I am, for the rest you should talk to Jonathan and see what he has to say about it." Aaron was about to resume his work, but realized that if he'd instructed Ragna to leave there the youth might get suspicious. "So how was your day with Silvana?"

"Fine I guess, I mean I just took her fishing and told her a story I came up with."

"You created a story?" Aaron repeated dubiously. "Not that you don't have other talents, but you've never really seemed that… creative."

"Says you, she happened to like it," Ragna said with a strange sense of pride before turning to leave on his own accord. "I'm going to see if Lilith needs any help with dinner, don't keep yourself shut in here all day for my sake old man."

"...He hasn't changed," Aaron said to himself after Ragna had left. "And for some reason I highly doubt he's ever going to."

 _ **The Next Morning**_

Ragna grimaced as he was rudely brought out of his sleep by repeating tapping on his shoulder. He'd spent last night like he'd spent the one previous, sleeping on outside on the soft grasses and hadn't expected to be awoken until later in the morning. Opening his eyes he found his hooded charge looking over him in waiting expectantly as she continued to poke him.

"Okay Silvana, I'm up…" he groaned as he rose his back from the grass and sat up. "So what do you want when it's still dark out?"

"Sunrise," she said as she pointed to the church's roof.

"I'm not stopping you, go and watch the sunrise if you want, just be careful," Ragna told her as he laid back on the grass in a hope to catch some last minute Zs. He'd barely lied down before he felt the tiny finger poking him in the shoulder again. "Now what do want?"

" _Watch_ sunrise," Silvana said to him. It took Ragna a moment to get it, but eventually he realized that this was an invitation to watch the sunrise with her like they'd done the day previous. Sighing, he fully rose and leapt to the top of the church's wooden roof before Silvana followed him up with wind magic.

The sunrise wasn't all that different from the one the two had seen the previous day, but Silvana still watched every detail closely, watching as the sky slowly changed colors as the sun emerged from behind the mountains. Ragna himself watched, but only because he'd feel like kind of a dick if he didn't.

"Well there's that done," he said once the sun had completely risen. "So what do you feel like doing today kid?" The only response was a small shrug. "Well… I guess we'll just figure things out as the day goes on."

After eating a quick breakfast outside of the orphanage like they'd done the previous day, Ragna and Silvana headed out into the town. Ragna had no particular plan for what to do, so he'd simply decided that he'd wander around until he found something.

' _We could go say hi to Eric in the fields, but I think that might piss him off more than anything else… Maybe I could try to catch Emily before she heads out hunting… But then we'd have to bring Silvana with us and that might just slow her down… What to do..._ '

"Ragna," Silvana said as she tugged on his arm for a moment while he was deep in thought, snapping the Reaper out of his trance. "Someone's coming," she said while pointing towards a figure that, sadly, he recognized.

"Keep your eyes to yourself and just walk past him," Ragna told her while keeping his voice as low possible, but loud enough to where she could hear him. His strategy went unrewarded however as the newcomer crossed his arms and waited for the two as they approached. "Shit… What the hell do you want Ruth?"

"I want to know where you've been," Ruth said to his hated foe. "I was annoyed enough when you left the fields early a few days ago, but now I hear that you haven't been back there once since then."

"I've got other crap to take care of," Ragna responded with due rudeness as crossed his own arms. "And when they needed workers to help a couple of years back, I didn't see YOU volunteering."

"You think a business man's going to lower himself to working in those god awful fields? You're delusional," Ruth said before glancing down to Ragna's accomplice. "And who's this following you everywhere?"

"...Just a guest who's staying with us at the orphanage until the traders head out," the azure eyed young man said, his eyes narrowing as he heard Ruth chuckle. "Something funny about that?"

"Nothing especially, just a bit of an inside joke," the more privileged youth said with a sneer directed at Silvana. "So why's she wearing that hood anyways?"

"Why do think; she's shy and she'd rather not have creeps like you leering at her all day," Ragna said before allowing himself a dark smirk. "Maybe it'll go in style with the rest of women in town."

"Funny, let's see what she looks like under it." As Ruth lunged to take Silvana's hood away by force, Ragna's hand immediately sprung out and forcefully knocked it away. Silvana was startled for a small moment before diving behind Ragna for protection, already knowing full well that she'd come to hate Ruth.

"Hands to yourself," Ragna said, standing ready in front of his charge. Ruth was about to call out the ex-Reaper, but something in the blue eyes he gazed upon stopped him cold. "C'mon, there's better people to get to know in town. Not everyone's an uncaring ass…"

As the two headed off Ruth considered telling his plans to Ragna about shutting down the orphanage he was staying at, but decided he'd quit while his opposer was still enraged. Besides, since he didn't know Ragna's plan to leave with the merchants he thought he'd be able to see the shock on the Reaper's face when he kicked him out of his church.

"They're not all like that," our silver haired protagonist told Silvana as the two continued their walk through town. "Fact is he's easily the worst of all of us, so don't worry too much about the others, they'll treat you alright… Well, it might take some them time with the hood, but you'll be okay. It's almost festival time and I've seen people from feuding families dancing with each other then… The ale probably helps with that though."

"Festival?" Silvana asked with curiosity.

"Yeah, we host it every year at the end of the harvest," Ragna told her. "We have this huge celebration that everyone in town pitches in for. Normally the merchants have to miss it, but because they're staying the extra days we'll be heading out of town the day afterwards." ' _When the hell did I become this talkative?_ "

"Oh…"

"Trust me, you'll love it," Ragna said before noticing a group of kids off in the distance playing with a leather ball. "Let's go say hey to them, it's a start to the day at least." Ragna hadn't made it far in his approach before the kids came running forward to greet him. Being the oldest of his generation, old enough to work in the fields, but not stuck up with his seniority, our protagonist was understandably popular with the village's youths.

"Hey Ragna!" Lodor, Emily's younger brother, shouted in greeting as he approached. "I thought you were out working in the fields."

"Come on, I'm already in hot water with Ruth for not being there. I don't need you kids blaming me too."

"Well Ruth can go… What is it you always say again?" Tomas (another child) asked.

"H-Hey, don't repeat what I have to say, especially in front of the parents," Ragna said as he became worried, knowing that despite his best effort he still didn't have the most child friendly choice of words. "...But if they do hear you say it, tell 'em you learned it from listening to Ruth."

The children laughed at that idea, while also keeping a mental note to follow his instructions if the occasion ever arose. "Do you want to play ball with us?" one of the younger girls from the village asked.

"I dunno…" Ragna said as he tapped his chin, feigning the need to consider it as the kids pleaded for him to join them. "Tell you what, I'll join in as long as Silvana here can play too."

A few of the children glanced to the newcomer before glancing back to Ragna, who nodded for them to proceed. Eventually the children relented and allowed for Silvana to join in the game. The game itself didn't have any set rules or victors, the main goal was to keep the ball for yourself and if you had to give it up, save face and intentionally kick it to someone else. Silvana was slow to start, tripping over the ball and falling behind when a rush for the it began, but very quickly she began to show an amazing aptitude for the game that was helped in large by excellent coordination. Her skill then gave way to impressing the children, who could only watch in awe as she performed tricks that they'd only thought Ragna was ever capable of.

 _TimeSkip_

 _Over the next part of the week the village began to bustle as the Harvest Festival edged ever closer. Soon the fields had been harvested, animals had reached the proper age and size to be slaughtered for their meat and hides, and booths were being set up to offer additional fun for the evening._

 _While the rest worked upon setting up for their celebration, Silvana and Ragna continued to develop their newly forged bond. Ragna continued to show her around village and show her a bit of an easy going side of life. He introduced her to Emily and re-introduced her in less awkward terms to Eric. She still didn't say much, but at least now she was having an easier time talking to others, even if it was still just two words at a time._

 _The time passing was not pleasant for everyone however; Aaron in particular was worried as they got closer to the festival, knowing that the day after the merchants would leave and that was when Ruth intended to make good on his promise to evict the Orphans from the church. He'd tried talking in secret to some of the families in the village to see if they could raise any of the children, at least for a while, but out of all of them only three were able to accommodate for a single child. Knowing he had little choice, Aaron began preparing for a long, harsh, and dangerous trip to the churches found in other villages. He hadn't told anyone in the orphanage about the necessary trip… he felt they should at least be able to enjoy the festival without worry._

"Hey Ragna, you mind cutting these for me?" Lilith asked as she held a large bowl of vegetables for Ragna. The two were in the church's kitchen preparing her dish for the festival just a few hours away. People were already finishing their stalls, putting up the bonfires and decorations, and most importantly rolling out the barrels of ale to enjoy. Nodding, Ragna took the bowl from her and went to work with his knife as Lilith added some spices to her stew and took a whiff of the aroma. "Mmm… By the time I'm done this food's going to be fit for the gods."

"Well with you spending all your free time trying to get this right I'd be surprised if it wasn't," Ragna said as he finished chopping the vegetables he'd been given. "Done, now do you want all of these to go right in the pot, or does your recipe do something different?"

"Adding them all in now is fine, but you'll have to cut some more up." Ragna nodded and was about to take the bowl over, but Silvana grabbed it before he could and hurried over to the large cooking pot to add them inside. "Looks like we have a little helper with us. Not too surprising, I mean everywhere you go she goes."

"I guess that's one way to put it," Ragna said as he began grabbing more food from the pantry. "Anything special you're looking to add?"

"Hm… Either some mushrooms or those potatoes I guess… What do you want in it?"

"You're the chef so you choose, it's your dish," he reminded.

"Yeah, but… I'm making it for you really…"

"Eh? You say something?" Ragna called from inside.

"N-Nothing," Lilith quickly stuttered from inside. "Just grab whatever you think would work best."

' _What the heck is she trying to do?_ ' Ragna thought to himself as he grabbed the mushrooms from the top shelf. He was about to bring them back to where he'd cut the other vegetables, but Silvana grabbed the bowl from him, brought them over to the cutting board, and began cutting them herself. "Someone's eager to cook…"

"I don't mind, the more help the better!" Lilith said cheerfully as she began gathering the spices to add into the stew. "Plus, it's always more fun when you're cooking as a group."

"Cooking as a group huh?" Ragna repeated before giving a small chuckle. "Can't argue."

"Fun," Silvana eagerly said in agreement.

 _ **Later that Night**_

The sun had just finished setting and already the Harvest Festival was in full swing. It was an impressive display, moreso because the merchants had contributed this year. The bonfire in town had already lit and was large enough to provide light for the entire festival. There was drinking, games, music, dancing, food, everyone was enjoying their greatest time of the year… well, save for one person. Ruth was sitting alone helping himself to a beer, the constant scowl on his face deterring anyone from approaching. He'd recently come from negotiating the offered price for the harvested crops and had gotten much less than he'd intended to, putting him in a terrible mood.

Meanwhile, over in a nice dark and quiet spot in the village, Ragna laid in the grass with his hands behind his head as Silvana sat beside him. The Reaper wasn't exactly a social person even if the Festival was his favorite time of the year. To him, the best way to spend the evening was just to relax and listen to the commotion.

"Feel free to join in if you want," Ragna told Silvana. "There's no reason why you need to stick with me."

"Yeah, don't stick with the lone wolf," Emily said as she came away from the festivities towards Ragna with a smirk on her face. Ragna peeked one of his eyes open and realized this was one of the few times she was actually wearing a linen dress. It was a simple tan brown, sleeveless, and tight enough show off part of her figure. "This is greatest time of the year and where's Ragna? Snoring in some corner by himself."

"What's it to you?" Ragna demanded as he sat up. "Can't I enjoy the festival the way I want to?"

"Not if either of us have anything to say about it!" Eric said as he approached Ragna as well with a mug in his hand. Ragna could tell that his friend was slightly red in the face, a sign that he was slowly becoming intoxicated. "Come on, live a little! Find a pretty girl to dance with! Lord knows this'll be your last time-!"

"Quiet!" Ragna hissed through his teeth.

"C'mon, it's not like you haven't told them," Eric said with a drunken chuckle. But he was quick to overcome his current state to remember who he was talking to. "You haven't told anyone!?"

"Ixnay on the eavinglay!" Ragna demanded.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emily asked with general confusion. Ragna slapped his forehead as he realized that _Pig Latin_ hadn't been created in this world. "Oh? Looks like your fanclub's found you."

"My fan-? Oh no…" Ragna groaned as he realized that the trio of Lilith, Sora, and Hilda was approaching him now that they'd located him. "You both realize I'm going to get you back for this?"

"No time," Silvana spoke up, reminding Ragna know he wouldn't have time to come up with and execute a revenge plot if he was leaving that morning.

"Ragnaaaaa!" came Hilda's familiar call as she rushed towards her apparent crush and immediately began clinging to his arm. "I thought that two days was bad enough, but then you spend a whole week away from me?"

"H-Hey Hilda," Ragna said with uncertainty as he glanced from her to the other girls.

"Hilda, do you always have to grab Ragna the second you see him?" Sora chided with slight jealousy. "So Ragna, did you try the soup that I brought tonight? It's the same one I told you about at the well."

"What about the stew we made _together_?" Lilith put extra emphasis on the last word as she gave a challenging look at Sora, which was returned in full.

"See sparks," Silvana said as she looked at both of the girls. Eric and Emily both nodded in agreement.

"N-Not yet," he responded with difficulty as Hilda continued to snuggle with his arm. " _Please_ let go. I-I'll try them soon, I just wanted some time to myself."

"Poor choice of words," Eric said with a smirk. "You'll have plenty of that soon."

Ragna's eyes grew wide as he realized where Eric was going with this. "Don't. You. DARE."

Eric dared. "What? You'll have plenty of time to yourself when your on road to mage's guild, won't you?"

" **ERIC!"** Ragna shouted as he glared at his 'friend.' He was about to give him a well deserved knee to the gut, but before he could the ladies were demanding answers.

"You're going to the Mage's Guild!?" Hilda demanded, her tone was enough to tell Ragna that she felt betrayed. "You're leaving the town behind!?"

"When were you going to tell us!?" Lilith demanded as she grabbed Ragna by his shirt and shook him violently.

"S-s-stop," Ragna begged as the orphanage's cook continued her outburst. Luckily, it seemed like Sora managed to get between the two for a moment. "Thanks SorAH! Hey! I'm not a punching bag!"

"Stupid! Do you have any idea when you're coming back!?" Sora demanded as she continued blindly punching all over our apparent victim.

"N-Not really?" Ragna defended trying to give a poker face smile, but it was so bad all it did was immediately scream _guilty_. He then gave a startled grunt as he was grabbed by the three and dragged out of the shadows. "Hey! What gives!?"

"Well if it's your last night in the village the least you can do is dance during the festival for once!" Lilith shouted.

"And I'm getting the first dance!" Sora shouted as she tugged on him even harder.

"No you're not! If anything I'm dancing with him first!" Hilda shouted.

While the girls continued to argue and drag Ragna off, his friends just stayed back in the shadows and watched his plight.

"Crazy…" Silvana noted in her monotone voice.

"You're telling me…" Emily said with concern.

"Eh, those three are okay," Eric told them. "They're actually pretty normal most of the time, but the moment that Ragna shows up they start to get really possessive… And Ragna being Ragna doesn't have a clue."

"Still, don't you think that might've been taking a _little_ too far?" Emily questioned as Eric took another swig of ale from his tankard.

"For stiffing me on getting the kids down this last week he's earned it," he responded with a smirk. "'Sides, he should have told the town that much. That parts on him not me."

"True…" Emily admitted before kneeling so that she was face to face with Silvana. "So, do you want to check out some of the stalls? I bet you could do pretty well at some of the games that they're offering."

"Okay," she said as she rose from where she was sitting with a small smile.

SInce Eric's tankard still had ale in it and he didn't have any real interest in dancing, he decided to tag along. The three first headed for the game where you had to throw small hoops on wooden pegs. Emily and Ragna usually dominated this game having the best coordination in the village, but Silvana gave the huntress plenty of a challenge. Eric, still slightly tipsy, gave no effort and barely made a shot out of every four he threw.

"You're a pretty good shot Silvana," Emily said as they left the stall. "An eye like that could get you pretty far, especially if learned to use a good hunting bow."

"Thank you…" Silvana said for the compliment before looking back to the center of the square. "Ragna, trouble."

"Trouble?" Eric thought with alarm as he looked to where the young girl was gazing. When he found the type of 'danger' however, he couldn't help but laugh. "Is that supposed to be him dancing!? He looks ridiculous!"

Eric wasn't wrong, it was apparent that Ragna had never danced a day before in his life. He wasn't showing much initiative and it seemed that he had to take convincing from one of the three ladies in order to even move awkwardly. And with the way the three were trying to move at the same type, Eric was half surprised he didn't immediately fall over.

"That's… honestly not too surprising," Emily said as she headed toward him. "You two have fun, I'm going to go save Ragna."

"Save him? You mean get him out dancing?" Eric asked, feeling a little disappointed that Emily was giving him an easy out.

"Hardly, I'm just going to teach him the basics and make sure he doesn't make a bigger fool out of himself," Emily said. "He could use the dance lessons anyways."

"...Heh, she always teases him to his face, but whenever I'm with her alone all she ever seems to do is worry about that idiot," Eric muttered with a smile before he noticed Silvana tugging on his sleeve.

"Ragna, friend?" she said.

"Is he my friend? Of course he is, 'fact I'd go as far to call the guy my best friend," Eric told her.

"Then why?"

"...Well we don't exactly have a regular friendship, but I'm not really for the whole flowery stuff. We make a few jipes, take a few jabs at each other, and all around have a good time with it… Maybe he shirks me on a job every now and again, but whenever I or anyone else was in trouble he'd always be the first one there."

"...Okay," she said as she watched Emily try to dance with Ragna. "Food?"

"Sound good to me. I tried Lilith's stew earlier and by Reslavia, that stuff's to die for. We should probably get some more before its gone."

Some time later, Emily had managed to pry her childhood friend away from his fan club and was with Ragna trying to teach him how to dance it properly and having… some success. But hey, give the guy a break, who would've taught him to dance? He'd be too prideful to learn from Rachel or Valkenhayn and Amane had a tendency to creep him out. Now at least he wasn't tripping over his own feet and he had an actual form as the two danced in the fire's light. That still didn't mean he was confident in his ability.

"Am I doing this right?" Ragna decided to finally ask.

"Well let's see… You haven't come close to falling over in a while, I'm getting death glares from the other girls in the village, and my dad's scowling at you…" Emily then gave him a big smile. "You're a natural!"

"Rgh… Be quite," he muttered before noticing that the music was starting to die down… No it wasn't starting to die down, the song was slowing. He glanced toward Jonathan playing his lute and the old man seemed to be oblivious to his gaze, but he then gave a small and knowing wink at the Reaper. "I-I think that's enough dancing for one day…"

"It's me or them Ragna, me or them…" Emily warned as the slow music continued and village girl's gazes continued to remain fixed on him. Weighing his options, Ragna decided he'd keep his current partner and put his hand on Emily hip to get ready. "See, I knew you were still that smart boy from when we were growing up."

"Thing with you is I'm not sure I'll miss you the most or the least when I'll leave," Ragna groaned as the two proceeded their slow stepping routine.

"...Hey, you'll come back right?" Emily asked out of nowhere. "I mean… you're not leaving the village for good… Are you?"

"...I doubt it," Ragna said honestly as the two continued to dance. "I mean the Mage's guild might be a few towns over, but if I'm ever in the area I'll make a point to stop by."

"Good, cause knowing you you'll probably never make any friends outside of town," Emily teased causing Ragna to roll his eyes. "Maybe I should go with you, introduce us both to people so you'll have an easier time opening up."

"...I opened up to you didn't I?" Ragna asked rhetorically.

"Did you?" Emily questioned back accusingly before resting her head on Ragna's chest while they continued to dance "...You're a real fool…"

Ragna felt death glares coming at the pair from everywhere, but he tried his damndest to ignore them. "...I'll miss you, ya know?"

"Yeah… I will too…" she said, giving a small, sad smile.

Further away from the fire, Eric and Silvana continued watching the two as they danced slowly. They finished their stew and again had their gazes were fixed on Ragna.

"...He leaves tomorrow and NOW he decides to have a moment with someone," Eric muttered at the melancholy in front of him.

"Moment?" Silvana questioned.

"Well… kind of hard to explain that," Eric admitted, being no expert of feelings. "I guess the easiest way to put it is they're starting to become even better friends… which might turn into something else." He paused for a moment as the music started to die down. "Looks like this song's ending… Maybe you should try dancing with someone."

"...Ragna," Silvana finally admitted as she walked forward. Eric stood back and watched her approach.

"Heh, well I guess whatever works," he said before bringing his mug up to his lips, only to see it empty of ale. "...I can take a bit more, so why not?" he thought aloud before heading to get a refill.

Silvana edged ever closer to where Ragna danced as the song died down. She proceeded carefully, trying to make her way past dancers and other party goers without disturbing them. Eventually she made her way to Ragna and reached her arm out to tap him and get his attention since his back was to her.

"Move."

The next moment Silvana was roughly shoved back and landed on the ground with a painful thud.

"Hey! What the hell's your problem!?" she heard Ragna shout in her startled state. Shifting her gaze upwards, the young girl saw Ragna had stopped dancing and now he and Ruth glaring at each other in the face, both of them looking pretty pissed.

"She was in my way, just like you are!" Ruth said as he attempted to shove Ragna down as well, but the former Reaper wouldn't budge.

"You're really starting to piss me off..." Ragna said darkly, angrier than most people had ever seen him. He was about to continue speaking out against Ruth… but that was when a woman screamed.

Shifting her gaze to the woman that screamed, Silvana found the woman staring at her. The young girl's blood turned cold as she slowly brought her hand up… her hood was down, and because of that the people could finally see what she'd been hiding beneath… they could see her ears.

Ragna gazed on at Silvana not able to see what the big fuss was about at first until he too found himself getting a better look at her ears. Their color seemed to be normal, but they were longer and slimmer than normal ones, not to mention their was a slight point to the top of them.

"A Half-Elf! She's a damned Half-Elf!" Ruth shouted at the top of his lungs, causing the music to abruptly halt and many of the party goers to immediately back away. "Who… WHO THE HELL BROUGHT HER HERE!?"

"It was Jonathan! He's the one that brought her here!" one of the townspeople shouted as everyone turned to glare at the merchant who was growing nervous.

"You idiot! Do you have any idea what you've done!? A half-elf in the village is a threat to us all!" Ruth shouted. "The old village was destroyed by a half-elf's magics and you've brought one at the end of the harvest!? She'll burn our food to the ground and leave us to starve through the winter!" Many of the townspeople were now focused on the newly discovered half-elf in glares of hatred at the mention of the old town's destruction.

' _Vizulla the Demoness was half an elf?_ ' Ragna thought to himself before realizing. ' _Wait… what's the big deal with Half-Elves any-?_ ' Since he was distracted with his thoughts, he didn't notice Silvana run off in tears until she'd left the fire's light. "Silvana wait!"

"Let her go, it's better that she run off and die without anyone else to curse," Ruth said, stopping Ragna cold as the young half-elf continued to run away. "It's a miracle you're still alive after spending so much time with that freak. Did that monster ever-?"

 **CRACK!**

Ruth lost conscious before he'd even hit the ground, his nose had caved in on a gruesome angle and blood was leaking out all over his face. His eyes still seemed to be wearing that smug gaze, even when he'd landed, though his jaw was slack and remained open awkwardly. Everyone had taken a step back in shock when he'd landed, but now they were staring at Ragna in fear for the punch to the face he'd delivered. He continued to grit his teeth at what Ruth had done before glaring at the people who'd agreed with the crap he'd been spouting. Without saying another word, Ragna left the safety of the light and followed after his friend.

 _ **Meanwhile -The Lake-**_

Silvana sat at the lake's edge and cried as the moonlight reflected on the water's surface. This wasn't the first time she'd been called out because of what she was, but this time had hurt her more than ever. These were people that she'd begun to get close to, that she'd played with and had gotten to know. Now they were like the rest, they hated her and saw her as just another monster. She was so deep into tears that she didn't even hear the calm footsteps behind her.

"Seriously kid, you really know how to run," Ragna muttered as he slowly approached He saw Silvana shiver in fright before looking like she was about to bolt. "Calm down, unlike those idiots I don't give a damn if you're a half-elf or not."

"Ragna…" Silvana said as she looked at him with eyes that were still filled with tears.

"Damn, it's always gotta be someone," Ragna thought aloud as he remembered the fear and racism against beastkin back in his home world. "So this isn't the first time you've been run out I've been guessing… Does Jonathan know?"

"Yes…" Silvana said.

"Well that's something...but what's the big deal with half-elves anyways?"

"I'm a... crime," the young girl said as it looked like she was about to cry harder. "Against gods!"

' _A crime against the gods? That's what they're calling half-elves?_ ' Ragna thought with disgust. ' _I was wrong, this racist filth is even worse than it was with Beastkin…_ ' "Well don't listen to any of that shit kid. Half-elf, half-human, whatever you are I really don't care; you're Silvana and that's good enough for me."

"R-Ragna…" Silvana began losing it at that point as she began to sob ever harder.

"Hey quit that," Ragna ordered in a low voice and Silvana barely managed to stop and listen. "It ticks me off having to listen to people cry…" It was a harsh statement, but a fitting one from him. "...If you can manage that, I'll be there to beat the shit out of anyone that even thinks of calling you a monster."

"O-Okay," Silvana said as tried her best to give Ragna a smile, though tears continued to fall down her face.

"Well I guess that's a start," he muttered before hearing the sound of rapid footsteps approaching him. "Hmph, finally managed to catch up?"

"Don't blame us…" Eric groaned as he was clearly sweating from the run. "It wasn't easy to sneak away and it's hard enough to follow you when it's light outside, you even give Emily a run for her money and you know how good her tracking is."

"Yeah, yeah... " Ragna nonchalantly shrugged off. "So what'd things look like back in town?"

"What'd you think? You just threw away any chance of a happy homecoming," Emily told him with slight worry. "Ruth was still out cold on the ground and everyone's pretty shocked… but since the two of you are leaving in the morning there's really nothing worth them doing."

"I guess that's as good as we could've hoped for," Ragna muttered as he crossed his arms. He was about to continue further in his thoughts, but he suddenly seemed to grimace harshly. "Gods above… what the hell is that smell?"

"Smell? I don't smell anything," Emily said as she sniffed the air around her for a moment. "Wait, I think I… Gah! Whatever it is that's foul!"

"No kidding," Eric said as he held his nose and Silvana did the same for a moment before they heard a snap. "What was that?!"

Ragna said nothing, though he cast his narrow eyes on where the sound had seemed to come from. A moment passed… then two… three… Ragna kept his eyes locked ahead at that, right up until a soft ' _twang'_ was heard. His arm shout out with precision and quickly caught the shot arrow out of the air. His friends gave a short gasp of surprise, right before he snapped it.

"Looks like we've got company, and it ain't friendly," Ragna said darkly.

Out of the shadows approached a large group of creatures, becoming clearly visible as they entered the light cast by the moon and the lake's reflective waters. They were rather short, not even fully reaching a 3 feet in height. Their skin was pale green and wrinkly. They looked rather vicious with their jagged teeth, blood red eyes, and violent sneers. They were equipped with shredded leather armor and mainly wielded rusted short swords, though there were a few holding crossbows, one of surprising high quality, especially considering the condition of the armor.

"Goblins!" Silvana screamed. Goblins are creatures that aren't inherently evil, but murder and stealing come easy to them. They're known to eat humans and even their own kind without reservation. Though they're very agil, their bones, muscle and skin is quite weak, so they are forced to rely on overwhelming numbers. They also have an odd fixation with shiney materials and absolutely despise the very sight of magic, sometimes going as far as to savagely target the caster first regardless of position.

"That's a lot of them," Emily said worriedly as she instinctively reached behind to grab her bow, only to realize it wasn't there. "And this is why I never wear a damn DRESS!"

"What the hell are they waiting for?" Eric demanded as he tried to stand protectively in front of Silvana, despite knowing there was little he could without a weapon.

"They're trying to surround us," Ragna said as he slowly approached them and cracked his knuckles. "Stay close to the water, you'll see them easier that way. I got this one..."

"You're not serious are you?" Emily demanded.

A single goblin in the front gave a small snarl before rushing forward with its twin knives, saliva drooling out of his mouth in anticipation from eating the flesh before him as it brought its blades to carve across Ragna's chest. He responded almost instantly by letting his entire right arm become completely coated in blue flames. As his three friends stared on in disbelief at the display, Ragna effortlessly dodged the side before winding up and throwing a powerful _Azure_ covered punch to the goblin's head, completing breaking it to chunks of flesh and a spray of green blood upon impact.

"Like I said, I got this," Ragna assured before he rushed forward to meet the rest of the enemies. Since the goblins had seen him using a mysterious power which could have resembled magic, they immediately targeted him in their bloodthirsty rush, making things all the easier for him.

" _ **Sapphire Spike!**_ " the Azure Wielder shouted as he unleashed a blue _Black Beast_ head from the ground which sailed forward into the enemy and sent them flying. Ragna then delivered a powerful spinning kick to another goblin's chest, killing it as its broken ribs pierced its heart. The crossbow wielding goblins shot arrows at him from afar, but he merely created a barrier of blue flames in front of him and deflected him from the hastily shot arrows.

" _ **Blue Fang!**_ **"** Ragna shouted as he rushed forward, this time his left arm was blazing as he struck through and killed several goblins. "Shatter!" He finished by throwing up his right hand and sending out another wave of azure from the ground that destroyed the monsters where they stood. Ragna then performed a powerful sweeping roundhouse kick that sent two goblins flying back before he performed a _**Gauntlet Cobalt**_ attack and brought his leg down on another group of monsters.

"I figured he'd been working with magic since I've last seen him, but I had no damn idea he could do something like this," Eric said as he stared at Ragna as he continued to destroy massacre the enemy.

"Wait, you mean you _knew_ about this?" Emily demanded as she wanted an answer to why she wasn't let in on the secret.

"I've only ever seen him use it once when he healed a bad injury that I'd gotten. I didn't ask him much about it, but he wanted me to never tell anyone about this," he told her. "Now I can see why; if the village saw something like this…"

"Disown him," Silvana finished darkly.

"Looking at him now I'm starting to see what they were so afraid of," Emily said as she watched her childhood friend unleash a powerful blast of azure that disintegrated a few goblins without resistance. "He's fighting like a demon from hell."

' _They think this is bad, they should see me when I lose control,_ ' Ragna thought to himself somewhat smugly before he grabbed a goblin by its head and viciously slammed it to the ground. Most of the remaining goblins had taken gather around Ragna in an arc before lunging forward all at once hoping to overwhelm him. Time seemed to slow around the _Azure_ wielder as he brought his right arm up and opened his hand.

" _Grimoire Blade._ "

A dense collection of blue flames formed in his hand before quickly changing form and extending a sword's point outwards. He'd gotten the concept idea from seeing the attack used on him before by _Susanoo_ and with significant practice he was able to create a lesser copy of the move. Right now the weapon was about the length of a standard longsword (three and half feet) which was far from the length of old enemy's weapon, but it still had great destructive properties. Letting out a roar, Ragna swung the _Azure_ blade in great arc, cutting through each of the goblins with ease.

The six remaining goblins had managed to reset their crossbows and unleashed another volley of arrows, but Ragna's _Grimoire Blade_ was more than fast enough to cut through the projectiles. He then leapt into the the air until he was directly over the goblins.

" _ **Cerulean Edge!**_ **"** he shouted as he dove downwards with his blade, cleaving through two of the goblins. Once he'd landed he sent out another wave of azure out, blasting apart three more goblins where they stood. The final one with the quality crossbow hastily tried to load its crossbow to get a shot off, but Ragna was much too fast as he dashed forward and closed the distance with another flaming fist of blue energy and blasted his foe to gory pieces.

"Looks like I've still got a ways to go," Ragna muttered exhaustedly to himself as he let the blue flames around his body fade, knowing he was still nowhere close to the level he'd once been at. He'd utterly destroyed this set of enemies true, but these were just goblins. They had weak bodies and little skill, in fact an NOL private would easily be able to take out the group he'd beaten, possibly quicker. Putting his progress aside for the moment, he turned to the three behind him. "You alright?"

"We're fine," Eric told him with a slow nod. "A little… shocked, but fine… Do you think they were after the village?"

"Wouldn't put it past 'em," Emily said as she looked gazed towards the town in the distance. "You can still see the fire light from here. They were probably going to try to kill us after all of the town guards passed out drunk… Might've caused even more problems if you had to defend the town there."

"Yeah, no kidding," Ragna said before looking to Silvana. "Ready to head back to the church kid?"

"...Yeah," she said with a small smile, grabbing Ragna's hand with her tinier one.

"You're not heading back to the square?" Emily asked with a small smile. "You know they'd probably overlook what you did to Ruth if you wanted to leave Silvana with me or Eric."

"And have to go back to dancing with Lilith, Hilda, and Sora? Pass," Ragna muttered, earning a chuckle from Emily. "Yeah, yeah, I know, I've got two left feet and a body that won't dance."

"You will if you don't keep practicing," the huntress added with a smirk before she noticed their other friend looking over the bodies. "Something catching your eye Eric?"

"Yeah, just wanted to see that good crossbow from earlier," he said as he over the goblins in the back. "Here it is… Knew it."

"Knew what?" Ragna demanded.

"This crossbow came from Balio town; I know because my father had ordered one of these for one of my brothers. I remember the design well enough because he let me use it from time to time. The maker always left his insignia close to the trigger, right here… And that's not all they have on them." Ruth pulled a filled and heavy bag from one of the bodies. "Looks like they managed to hit a bank or something…"

' _Doubt that this batch would be able to take on a town with a bank in it,'_ Ragna thought to himself. ' _Then again, Jonathan did say some about merchants being attacked… So I managed to bring down the culprits._ ' "Alright, might as well see what they've got on 'em."

After going through all of the goblins the four managed to find a crossbow, a shortsword and a knife that didn't look like they were rusted or chipped, and a total of nine bags of coins. Ragna had used his _Azure_ to destroy what else remained, so there would be little proof of the events that had taken place.

"If Ragna's the guy that managed to kill off the goblins he should be the one to take all of this," Eric advised. "You're going to need all of this on your journey right?"

"It's too much cash to carry, even where I'm going," Ragna refused. "I'll take three of the bags, you all can take two to do whatever you want with the gear."

"You can't really mean that," Eric said before seeing that Ragna was indeed serious. "Well if that's what you want… Thanks."

"Go ahead and take that crossbow too if you want it," Ragna told him before he picked up the sheathed dagger and walked up to Silvana. "I want you to carry this with you wherever you go. If you can't use magic, use this to keep yourself safe. Got it?" Silvana nodded and Ragna scuffled her hair. "I guess that just leaves the shortsword… You want it Emily?"

"Ragna, you can't expect us to take all this, I mean what'd we do to deserve this?"

"For starters you guys haven't been complete asses to me," he said as he crossed his arms. "Plus you've been my friends for a while, so think of this as sort of a 'see ya' gift. Just want to make sure you'll be doing well enough next time I see you."

"Tch… Gotta play hero don't you?" Eric asked as he gave a bitter-sweet smirk. "Alright, head back to the church then and take the crossbow with you, I think I might head back to the festival and make sure Aaron's doing okay with the kids."

"You do that, I'm heading home," Emily said with a yawn. "'Sides I still need to-"

"Get out of that damn dress?" Ragna guessed with was rewarded with a smile. "Yeah, I'll see you guys in the morning before I head out. C'mon Silvana."

"Okay…" Silvana said as she held Ragna's hand and followed closely behind him.

 _ **Later that Night**_

Ragna gave a soft yawn as he laid on the grasses outside of the church and looked up at the stars. Silvana was already fast asleep in the guest bedroom and the sounds of the festival were slowly starting to die down. The _Azure_ wielder was starting to feel tired after the day he'd had and he knew it was going to be a long one tomorrow, but he wanted to stay up just a little longer, just to make sure no one tried anything while Silvana was fast asleep in the church.

As Ragna twisted his neck to get a pop out of it, he noticed Aaron returning from the festival with the children. While most of the children were groggily walking back to the church on their own, Aaron was carrying one of the younger children in his arms. Slowly getting up Ragna quietly made his way over to see if Aaron needed any help.

"All right, the lot of you get ready for bed," Aaron told them. "We're going to have… a busy day tomorrow, so I want everyone well rested." As the rest of the children headed to the dormitory to prepare for bed, the child in Aaron's arms started to stir. "Don't bother waking up Alexander, it's already time for bed."

"Okay…" he said with a soft yawn. "Hey Father, can you tell that story again, the one about the orphan that grows up to be king?"

"Y-you want to hear that story? I'm not sure…" Aaron was about to refuse, but after a moment he nodded. "Alright… I'll be sure to tell it tonight."

"Thanks," Alexander said as Aaron put him down.

"I thought you always hated that story," Ragna said with as he entered the church behind the Father.

"I don't hate it, I just always found it a little too… easy. Everything along the child's journey just went off without a bump in the road… But, maybe they want a story like that…"

"Yeah, maybe," Ragna agreed before smirking. "What kind of a king do you think I could make?"

"Honestly? I don't want to imagine that, it'd be interesting for sure," Aaron said with a return smirk. "I can't expect you to be completely safe on your journey, but I want you to fight to stay alive until your last moments. Promise me that much…"

"...I promise," Ragna said as he looked into the dormitories. "Did you know about Silvana?"

"I did," the father told him.

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't think you'd care one way or the other," Aaron explained, and Ragna had to admit their was some truth to that. "I talked to Jonathan and the others, the caravan is going to be leaving before sunrise tomorrow. If you want to say goodbye to the children, now's the time."

"So this is it then?" Ragna asked and the Father of the Church nodded. "...Thanks for everything then." Neither of the two were much for embracing people, so they'd decided to keep their goodbyes to a short nod of acknowledgement… in a way this spoke more for the two than words. "I'll go tell the kids the story, might as well say goodbye to 'em while I have the chance. Get some rest, you've already had a hard enough day old man."

Aaron groaned as he shook his head. "I'd appreciate it if you called me by my title once before you left… Even if it's just the one time."

"I already told you I don't use those, so tough luck," Ragna told him before moving into the dormitory. "Hey! Sorry about the scare earlier, but who's ready for a story?"

"I was right he's not going to change..." Aaron said before he headed off to his study to finish preparing for tomorrow. He'd miss Ragna more than he let on, that much was certain, but he still had others he needed to ensure safety for.

 _ **The Next Morning**_

Ragna gave one last yawn as he finished loading Jonathan's cart with its last crate of goods. Like he'd said earlier, Jonathan and the others were already planning on leaving the town before sunrise and Ragna was trying to make sure that they kept to that schedule. Silvana, meanwhile, was fast asleep in the wagon already, knowing that it be harder to sleep when the wagon started moving.

"That should be the last of it!" Ragna called to Jonathan and the merchant gave him a satisfied nod. "We ready to go?"

"This eager to get out of here early are you?" Jonathan asked with a small chuckle. "Give us just a minute and we'll all be ready to head off."

"Alright," Ragna said as he stretched his arms upwards. "So how'd the rest of the town treat you after the whole… _incident_ last night?"

"They're letting me leave at least," Jonathan told him with a less cheery demeanor. "I doubt our convoy's going to be receiving as warm a welcome next time we travel here, but what's done is done… You didn't look that bad dancing last night."

"Well you're not seeing me do that again, I can guarantee that," Ragna said with a growl. At the sound of footsteps, he turned his head to see Emily and Eric heading towards him. Emily was in her hunting furs and carried her bow behind her back with her new short sword at her hip while Eric had his new crossbow and ammunition clipped on and carried an axe on his shoulder. "So I guess this is it."

"...About that, there's been kind of a change in plans," Eric told him. "You mind getting some extra company for the road?"

"Wait, you're coming with me?" Ragna demanded. "I thought Emily was taking you hunting."

"Nah, we're just both dressed for traveling," Emily told him with a cocky smirk, letting Ragna know she too intended to travel with him. "Convincing my dad that I was going with you wasn't easy, but I made sure they had enough to get by with a bag of our _you know what_ from last night."

"Even your little brother was okay with this?" Ragna asked, knowing Emily's brother had tendency to stick close to his sister whenever possible.

"Turns out Lodor was actually what let me leave in the first place," the huntress told him. "He kept insisting that if I was with you I was sure to be alright… So if he's wrong, my dad's gonna kill you. Okay?"

"Not okay!" Ragna immediately shouted in response which made Silvana shuffle around in her sleep for a moment before going still again. Knowing it wouldn't be fair to wake her now, Ragna decided to keep his voice down. "What about you Eric? What did Aaron have to say to you?"

"He said I was good to go… And he seemed to be in a much better mood than we've seen him this last week for some reason," Eric told him, though it was clear he didn't understand the father's change in behavior either. "Anyways, he even let me take this axe here so I'll have something to contribute other than my new crossbow."

"Eric… that's the axe we used to chop firewood," Ragna reminded with an awkward expression.

"Yeah, and Aaron's got a spare back in the church. Besides, I know my way around this axe better than anyone. Remember how I was always the guy to cut firewood with it?"

"There's a bit of a difference between cutting firewood and cutting someone's head clean open," the _Azure Wielder_ informed before he realized something. "But if you're coming with us, we're heading to the Mage's Guild. Neither of you know magic…"

"Yeah, but that's no reason why we can't still help you out with your own jobs," Eric told him with a cocky smile. "So are we going or not?"

Seeing Ragna about to immediately turn them down, Emily played her winning hand. "Of course we could go wake up Sora and Hilda; they probably don't know that you're about to head out and I bet we could have Jonathan play a couple of bars for a last dance."

Silently, Ragna gave a glance towards Jonathan who a gave a shit-eating smile and a passive shrug as he gently tapped his lute. He then turned back to his friends with a defeated smile. "Well get on if you're coming with me, we ain't got all day."

Eventually the three were on board the wagon, just before Kenneth called for the wagons to head out. Since Jonathan's wagon was at the back of the convoy Ragna and the others were able to watch the small village as they left for the open road, and the world ahead…

 _ **Three Hours Later**_

"Ugh…" Emily groaned as the wagon continued to rock. The young huntress hadn't adapted well to the constant movement that came with riding in a wagon. She'd been gripping her stomach for a good while now and had been praying to Reslavia, Vinaria, Vizacis, any of the seven really. She just hoped that this damned ride would be over soon enough.

"You asked for this," Ragna decided to remind with a smirk on his face, amused that now he was the one teasing after leaving the village. He was sitting across from Emily while Eric sat next to her. Silvana was sitting next to Ragna and rested her head on his shoulder as she continued to sleep blissfully.

"Just stop this damn thing… soon," she groaned as she began to grow wozy.

"I'm afraid that won't be happening," Jonathan called from the front of the wagon. " _Fortune Step Inn_ is a ways away; even if we travel all through the day it's possible we won't make it there by nightfall. And if we don't have anyone to protect us the less we spend on the road after dark the better."

"No…" she groaned again, her skin starting to turn a sickly shade of green. Deciding to take some pity on the poor girl, Ragna made sure Jonathan wasn't watching before channeling some _Azure_ into his hand and sending a small pulse into Emily. He'd learned that he could use his power to achieve specific minor effects if he practiced enough with it and he'd already learned how remove an illness by helping out some of the sick in the village in secret. This ability seemed to calm her stomach and her complexion seemed to improve immediately. "Thanks."

"I just didn't want you throwing up on me," Ragna told her with another smirk.

"I just remembered something, you all have money?" their merchant driver asked from the front. "I'm a friend of your village's even after what happened, but I'm a man of business not charity. You'll have to pay for your own rooms and food at the inn."

"Yeah we've got the money," Eric answered with a small wink to his best friend. "After all, Ragna's managed to save up for all of us."

"R-Right," Ragna said with a very nervous smile as he began to sweat. Both Eric and Emily looked to each other in confusion. "J-Just don't forget I already gave you the money."

"A-already gave us the money? What're yo-?" Emily began before she caught on. "You don't have it!?"

"Just not my share," Ragna admitted as he embarrassedly scratched the back of his head.

"Well where is it!? You had the largest share!" Eric demanded as Silvana again seemed to stir for a moment before continuing to rest on Ragna's shoulder.

"Well…"

 _ **-The Village-**_

"Pick up the pace you louts, lest I dock your pay!" Ruth demanded as he angrily led several members of the town guard forward toward the church with his ledger. The spoiled child's nose had needed treatment and several bandages after the blow he'd received the night previous, so he now spoke with a sort of off tone and looked even sillier than he had before his injury.

"Are we really doing this?" one of the guards said, he was one of the several that didn't completely trust Ruth.

"Yes we are, and you're going to be a part of it if you want to stay in my village!" Ruth demanded with a nasty sneer. Now that Ragna was well out of town, he was more than confident that he could get Aaron and the children out of his church. The workers would be arriving as soon as he got a message out, but he wanted that church cleared now. "Remember if that old fool starts trouble you kill him, and if you can make it LOOK like he's about to start trouble I'll give you an extra seven copper."

A couple of the guards glanced at each other once before sighing and realizing that they didn't have much of a choice. Even if they disobeyed, Ruth would have still have more members under his influence to do the job for him. They were haunted by what this nightmarish raid would look like, they'd be removing children that wouldn't even be able to fight back. As they approached the church, however, they were surprised to see Aaron standing at the front, like he'd been expecting them.

"I thought I told you not to come near my church until you grew a sliver of morality," the Father said before he glanced at the town guard. "And judging who you've brought with you I highly doubt that's happened."

"Who needs morality? I've got coin and weapons, that's all I need." Ruth began to take a step forward. "Fath- No, just Aaron… You've been indebted to me and my family for years. Your current debt is nine-"

"Oh shut that filthy mouth of yours and take this will you?" Aaron growled before taking a small coin made of light metal and tossed it to Ruth. The coin hit him square in the forehead before bouncing off and landing on the ground in front of him. "That's what you wanted, correct?"

"Who do you think you're fooling!?" Ruth shouted as picked the coin in front of him. "You think a single piece of silver is enough to turn me away you old bastard!?"

"Mind you mouth," Aaron said to him as he casually looked to the church's entrance. "We have children listening in." Ruth was beginning to absolutely fume, but Aaron seemed as calm as ever. "Look closer at that coin in your hand, notice the marking and the material?"

"What? What's so-?" the words were caught in Ruth's throat. The piece wasn't made silver like he'd thought; it was made of solid Platinum.

To recap; 30 copper to a silver and 15 silver to a gold. That alone made gold valuable, but a coin made from platinum? That was worth a solid 10 gold, making a single one of them worth a great deal. Ruth's face seemed to blanch as he stared back up at the Priest who didn't seem amused in the slightest.

"If I recall, we owed you _nine_ gold, but this piece of Platinum is worth ten," he said, every word a sharp sting to Ruth. "Now I may not as good with my numbers as you are, but I think that means your family is now indebted to the church." Aaron's face then became a harsh and terrifying scowl, one which he never used on his children. "Now put that in your accursed ledger and get away from my church."

Sweat slowly fell down Ruth's face as he glanced from the father, to his book, to the coin in his hand. If he attacked the father now that the debt was placed on him there'd be trouble, enough to destroy his plans for the future. He grit his teeth so harshly that a single drop of blood fell from his lips. Without saying another word, he turned and left with a few of the more loyal town guards. Those remaining let out a small sigh of relief as they saw that they'd gotten out of a truly nightmarish act and one even fell to the ground as the strength in this leg's finally gave out. Aaron gave a short chuckle as he made his way over and helped up the man who'd fallen.

"Bless you Father Aaron," he said, seeming somewhat out of breath. "Bless you."

"Blessings to you as well," Aaron said with a content smile before turning to the rest of the guardsmen. "I believe Lilith is just about done preparing breakfast, would any of you care to join us?"

 _ **-Back to the Convoy-**_

"So you left it all with Aaron," Emily summarized at last. "All of it?"

"Every last coin," Ragna told her seriously.

"Even the stuff you made by…" she glanced at Jonathan who only seemed to be focused on the road. "By actually working?"

"Every. Last. Coin," Ragna repeated wonder how many times it'd take to get the message through.

"Okay… why?" Eric decided to ask.

"He raised me ever since my mother left me on the step of his orphanage when I'd just been born," Ragna told him. "I've been with him my whole life up until now… He's had to have been pretty patient with me, so I felt that I needed to pay him back somehow. This was least I could do."

"You've got a point," Eric admitted, but immediately followed up when he received a harsh elbow from Emily. "But don't you think it's a bit much? I mean-"

"I wanted to make sure he was going to be okay the next time I saw him, same with you," he explained, hoping that'd be the end of it.

"Well maybe you should keep _a little_ for yourself!?" Emily shouted at him. "Jeeze, even I only gave a single bag of coin to my family, but you gave Aaron three of them right before you left! What were you planning on doing if we hadn't shown up?"

"I'd work it out as I went, just like I'll figure it out now," Ragna said.

Despite himself he couldn't help but smile. He looked out the back of the covered wagon and looked up the sky, the endless azure sky above. He'd been in this new world for fourteen years, but this is where things really began; this was the true start to his second life, his chance to live a life that he wanted.

"It's a big world; who knows what I'm gonna find out there?"


	3. Fortune's Step Inn

_**Blue II: Fortune's Step Inn**_

Ragna winced as his body was suddenly rocked, waking him from his slumber. He didn't open his eyes immediately, but from the chirping of the crickets and the owls' hoots he could tell that night had already fallen over the kingdom. He groaned as he tried to shake off his groggy headache as the wagon's wheels continued to slowly creak along the road along with the two sets of snoring around him. Finally taking a visible look, he saw that Emily had bunched some of her furs into a makeshift pillow to lay on the ground while Eric sat up front with their merchant driver. Silvana was still asleep beside Ragna and had her head resting on his right shoulder.

"We almost there?" Ragna had to ask. He wanted to get up and stretch his muscles, but with the young half-elf resting next to him, he didn't have much freedom to move.

"Yeah, I recognize the area, even when it's this dark," their driver Jonathan said from the front of the wagon with a lantern to light their way. "Should take about half an hour at worst, just be sure you watch yourself; the place can get rowdy this late at night."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll keep my head down," Ragna muttered.

"Now that I think about it you might need to do more than just that," Jonathan said to him. "The inn's owned by a dwarf named Heathson Stonejaw. He runs the place with his two sons and daughter and the whole family has the usual dwarven hatred for elves. Whatever you do, don't let Silvana get close to any of them or they might find out what she is."

"Shouldn't be too hard," the ex-Reaper told him. "We just need to eat up in our room and not go out unless we need to."

"If the Inn's run by a dwarf I'm actually looking forward to it," Eric began from the front of the wagon. "Back in my hometown we got shipments dwarven ale that was so good people would get into bar fights over it before they were even drunk… At least that's what I've heard."

"That's what you're looking foward to? Drinking?" Ragna asked with a roll of his eyes.

"Don't judge it before you've tried a bottle for yourselves," Jonathan told him with a chuckle. "The dwarves are infamous for their ale, beer, and whiskey. You'll find no better drinks from anyone else… and I hear Heathson's got quite the collection."

"Good for you you two then," Ragna muttered with a sigh before glancing once more to the resting form of Silvana. She'd been asleep almost the entire journey, only getting up when they'd eaten their food on the road. That'd given his shoulder a short twenty minute break before the half-elf had gone back to sleep and had wound up resting her head there once more.

With his neck feeling even stiffer, Ragna figured it was finally time to try and move Silvana elsewhere. He managed to push so that her back was leaning against the wagon in an upright position. Holding his breath for a good moment, Ragna slowly edged himself away from her. He let out a sigh of relief, but that was when she flopped over and landed against his waist.

With a blush at the turn of events, he realized that he didn't have the slightest idea of how to deal with his predicament. He was about to try to push her off of him again, but then Silvana wrapped her arms around him in her subconscious. Any hopes of getting the half-elf off of him were dashed as he realized just how tightly the half-elf was gripping him.

"At least this can't get any worse," Ragna muttered to himself. The mere moment he finished saying that Emily seemed to be roused from her sleep by the cruel fates. "Shit…"

The young huntress let out a soft yawn as she groggily rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She adjusted her furs so that she was wearing them as more of a traveling outfit instead of using it as a makeshift bed roll. When she finally set her eyes on Ragna in the dim light given off by the lantern in the front, she glanced down at Silvana with confusion before looking back up to a nervous azure eyed youth and glaring.

 _Help me…_ Ragna mouthed in a different kind of pain. Had Emily caught onto the message it clearly didn't show. All she did was harshly roll her eyes before crossing her arms and leaning back as she waited for the ride to end without saying another word. ' _Just my luck…_ '

Eventually the caravan made their way to the front of the roadside inn. The building itself looked rather wide across and seemed to be plenty tall to house all of the needed rooms. One of the dwarven sons were at the front and told the caravan leader to park the wagons inside the barn. He was exactly what Ragna and the other's had imagined a dwarf would look like; a short man about three feet tall who had a very stout build and a thick beard to accompany it.

Ragna tried to wake Silvana by gently shaking her. Wincing for a moment, Silvana slowly opened her sky blue eyes before realizing where she was. Slowly looking up, her eyes and Ragna's met for a moment. He was at a complete lose for words on what to say, so he said nothing. Silvana didn't speak either, merely blushing slightly, pulling her hood over her head, and leaving to follow Jonathan. Ignoring the slap given to him on the back of the head by Emily, Ragna followed the rest of the merchants into the _Fortune's Step Inn._

The open building of the first floor of the was crowded with tables and several travelers were discussing jobs with each other, swapping tales of battles, and merrily eating food and drinking from their tankards. In the far back, there was a bar which shared space with a kitchen where another of Heathson's son worked preparing food for the patrons (Ragna made a mental note to check his meal for beard hairs). The far left wall was covered in several pieces of parchment, probably advising for dangers of traveling or advertising available bounties to hunt or mercs to hire. To the right was a desk where you could buy a room to spend the night and a staircase that would lead to the higher levels.

The young lady serving drinks was clearly dwarven as was a wizened old owner sitting behind the desk. Heathson Stonejaw was a strong built dwarf about 4 feet tall with an even longer white beard. His work behind the desk was slow as he looked over his inn's several ledgers to account for how much money he was making. The she-dwarf was also short and stout build like the rest of her family. Her hair was black as a raven and curled around her head in long locks. Like Jonathan had said it didn't look like she was growing a beard like the dwarven women were rumored to grow, but her tanned skin seemed to already have a kind of… roughness to it, not that it made her unattractive.

"Watch your step here," Kenneth, the convoy's leader and blacksmith, said to Ragna. "Most of these sell swords will beat you half to death if you just looked at them wrong, the others might be willing to go all the way."

"Let 'em try, I ain't afraid of them," Ragna responded, apparently not impressed. "Who're the mercs that you're supposed to meet up with?"

"That'd be them over there," the blacksmith said as he headed towards a table filled with a group of big burly men in plated armor. The largest and apparently the leader of the group was a large man who wore the same armor as the others, though his apparel came with a set of manacles on his wrists with broken chains on them. He also carried a large two-handed broadsword on his back and his constant glare was a warning that he wouldn't hesitate introducing it to anyone who crossed him.

"You must be Kenneth," the man said as the caravan approached the table.

"That would make you Zeus of Chains," Kenneth addressed the mercenary. "Ready to get to business?"

"'Might not be much to say," Zeus said with annoyance. "We came from the north and it looks like Balio town's undergoing some changes. Town guard's wouldn't let us get too close and they threatened to execute us if we took one step inside the town. Bastards at least let us go around…"

"Funny, I've always remembered Balio town to be more welcoming to travelers than most, even mercenaries," Jonathan interjected. "Do you have any idea what could have changed?"

"None, but as bad as things were for sell swords they were even worse for merchants; they weren't even allowed to go around the town and the soldiers forced them to head back the way they came. 'Actually saw a group try to sneak around and the soldiers went and arrested them."

"Well whatever's in Balio town, it's more trouble than what it's worth to go there," Kenneth muttered with a sigh. "Damn, and I was hoping to unload a few of my finer blades there… So now what?"

"Our agreement still stands, I want the coin we were promised for showing up." The merchant's respected the meeting contract and threw a small satchel of silver on the table which clattered readily. Satisfied, the mercenary leader took the satchel off the table and clipped it to his belt. "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not an unreasonable sellsword. You'd said you wanted to hire out my group for a three month contract; as long as we don't immediately head north we're still ready to be hired. I've even heard of some sort of religious ceremony to the west. Might be a good place to sell a few of your wares."

"...Fine. Three months for the pay we promised, but you better not be lying about Bailio town," Kenneth threatened.

"Ask Heathson or anyone that recently came from the north, they'll tell you the exact same story," another broad shouldered mercenary said on Zeus's left. Looking at the group, he eyed Ragna and the other's with him. "They with you?"

"That remains to be seen," Jonathan told him before grabbing Eric and Ragna by their shoulders and guiding the young group of four away from the table and the dwarven serving girl bringing the mercenaries more drinks. "This isn't going like I'd planned it."

"No offense John, but that's obvious," Emily told the old merchant. "So what are we going to do now?"

"That's up to you; you're free to journey with us to the sacrament in the west or you could continue to head north to the Mage's Guild through Balio town. As long as you stick to the main roads the journey shouldn't be too difficult… though you may need to avoid Balio town."

"Couldn't we go west and then head north? We could just avoid the town altogether," Eric suggested.

"It's not that simple I'm afraid," Jonathan said with a shake of his head. "The northern end of the kingdom is surrounded by dense forests that have claimed many lives. There's only one path north that's safe enough to be trusted and that's the one that Balio town rests on.

"How far are each of them from here?" Ragna thought aloud as he opened the map that Aaron had given him before he'd left. Like Jonathan had stated, it looked like it was a straight shot through the north to get to the _Mage's_ _Guild_. While he was looking over those two paths, Silvana came up from behind and pointed to a different spot on the map.

"Castle," she said using only a single word of dialogue. Indeed there was a small illustration of the kingdom's capital on the map where she'd pointed, and it wasn't that far from the inn they were currently staying at.

"And it looks like we could also head for the castle town," Ragna agreed giving a small encouraging nod to Silvana, causing her to beam with pride. "Wait, if castle town's so close by why doesn't the caravan just head there? It'd next to impossible not to sell anything there, wouldn't it?"

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Jonathan muttered disdainfully. "The kingdom's castle town treats merchants differently than anywhere else. The town has a special _Seller's tax_ that any merchant has to pay before they start selling and keep a constant payment coming in each and every month. The better the districts, the more of a tax you have to pay. If a caravan like ours comes into town and starts selling without paying the tax we'd be arrested."

"So we'd be going without you," Ragna summarized. "What would be there for us?"

"Hah, an easier question to answer is what wouldn't be there. The merchant's might only be able to sell there with a special tax, but castle town is still considered to be one of the greatest trading hubs of the kingdom. They've got smitheries, bakeries, leather working shops, anything you can think of. Everything there costs a good amount of coin, but the quality makes it more than worth it. There are branches of different guilds there too, though there's not going to be one nearly as large as the _Mage's_ guild in the north.

"So we've got a choice then," Ragna lamented with a sigh before turning to the others. "What do you guys think we should do?"

"Follow Ragna."

"Eh?" The reincarnated Reaper raised an eyebrow as he looked down at the hooded half-elf. "Silv you sure? I thought that your plan from day one was to head to the _Mage's Guild_?"

"Follow Ragna," she repeated with greater conviction.

"Well I guess I can agree with that," Eric said with a shrug. "I won't be able to join the _Mage's_ _Guild_ one way or another, so whatever direction you pick works for me."

"That means I have to follow you too, like it or not," Emily said to Ragna with a snarky shrug, which Ragna rolled his eyes at. "I guess that makes you our leader by default since you're the oldest."

"...I wouldn't necessarily count on that," Jonathan said nervously as he looked towards Silvana something which Ragna noticed and raised his eyebrow at, but shrugged off. "Regardless, we've all had a long day. I think it's time that you got yourselves a room and called it a day. Just make sure you're up by dawn if you're leaving with us."

"A room sounds pretty good to me," Emily told them. "Eric, Ragna, you take Silvana upstair, I'll cover our room this time."

"Thanks, cause I'm sort of broke," Ragna took them as he scratched the back of his head. WIth a small collection of _clinks_ , he saw that Silvana was offering one of the bags of coins that he'd given her. "Heh, that's nice of you kid, but I should probably get the money back myself." He then stuck his right fist into his open palm as a cocky smirk formed on his face. "Starting now."

"It's the middle of the night, what kind of work could you-?" Emily began before shaking her head and heading to the desk. "I'm going to stop questioning your ability to get yourself out of this type of trouble."

"I already stopped doing that a while ago," Eric admitted as he began walking upstairs with Silvana. "It made things easier for everyone."

' _They know I can still hear them don't they?'_ Ragna thought to himself before heading over towards the wall with all of the notices pinned up. Keeping his map out, he looked over the posters to try and see where he could make a quick payday. ' _There's not a lot of bounty listings here, most of them are for mercs to hire… Whatever, let's see what I can work with. There's one that's asking me to beat down some bandit that have been causing trouble, but the village they were last seen at is too far from here. 'Fact a lot of these seem to be pretty far away._ '

"Something you need help with?" Ragna heard someone ask from beside him. Turning his head to his right (and down a few degrees) he saw the dwarven serving girl looking up at him while she was carrying a tub filled with used tankards.

"It's nothing, I'm just looking for some work," Ragna told her as he crossed his arms and continued to look at the papers. "Having some trouble finding the right job."

"You don't look like much of a bounty hunter to me," the dwarven girl said to him bluntly, making a ticked mark appear on Ragna's face. "It's too late to fight for coin anyways, all the hunters already headed in a while ago."

"Oh, so there was a hunt today?" Ragna asked with curiosity as he looked on the board. "Still not seeing one for anything close by."

"That's because my pa was the one offering it, not the huntin' guilds," she explained. "'Bout a week ago this damned _Dire_ Boar came outta nowhere and started rippin' apart anyone that got close to it. Thing was bad for business so the old coot put a reward on the beast."

"All this trouble from some stupid pig?" Ragna muttered.

"You wouldn't be talkin' like that if you saw the damn thing," the bar maiden told him with a scowl. "People've been saying it's twice the size of a warhorse and has tusks that could tear through iron! Even shooting it with two quivers worth of arrows only seemed to make it ev'n madder! The thing's still in the east causin' trouble for anyone passing through!"

"East eh?" he repeated before turning and walking out of the inn. "Might as well…"

"You're just headin' out ta die ya idiot!" the dwarven girl continued to shout as Ragna continued his departure. Most of the conversations had stopped as people watched him leave after ignoring the warnings given by the innkeeper's daughter.

"Ragna, really?" Jonathan thought aloud with a groan as he stood from the table where he'd been seated with the mercenaries. "Sorry, but I need to stop him before he does something he won't live to regret."

"We're supposed to be taking that runt with us?" muttered one of the mercenaries that was going to be escorting the caravan. "What's he thinking? It's damn late, he's got no weapons, and he's dressed in farmer's cloth! How's he going to take on a boar like that by himself?"

"If he does something like this when we're on the road, we're charging you extra," another mercenary warned with narrowed eyes. The merchant's caravan didn't find any way that they could argue in favor of Ragna's actions. "Go bring the boy back and give him a talking to."

"You all seem rather sure he's going to die."

The voice that had suddenly spoken was both refined and even, getting the entire tavern's attention. The speaker was a tall woman in a black cloak that no one had seen enter the building. Her face was hooded so not a soul could see what she truly looked like, yet a single long lock of sapphire blue hair seemed to escape from the hood and reached down to the top of her chest. In one of her leather gloved hands rested a half filled goblet of wine, the cup made of what appeared to be crystal.

"How did you get that wine?" Stonejaw demanded, focusing on the mysterious woman's drink, rather than the enigma herself. "I'd never serve that pansy drink at my inn!"

"I obviously brought it with me, but I believe you're missing the point my wizened old friend," the woman said condescendingly, further adding to Heathson's ire. "Since the boy feels so confident about taking on the beast, I say we let him. If he's as out of its league as you think I don't think he'll be trying anything like this afterwards"

"Are you insane? He could get killed out there!" Jonathan shouted in outrage. "It's the dead of night and he's gone out to hunt a monster far stronger than he is!"

"I saw an especially bright moon this fine evening," the woman said as she slowly swirled around the contents of her goblet. "He should be able to see now just as well as he could've during the day."

"Won't mat'ar when he get's so trampled you can't recognize him," the dwarven serving girl said coldly as she passed a tankard to one of the customers.

"You're all making a very big mistake" the lady of mystery chided. "You're all treating the boy as if he were only human… he's anything but." Taking a short sip of her crimson wine, she reached inside her cloak and produced a small pouch which she threw to the counter, startling the old man that owned the establishment. "There's enough gold pieces in there so that everyone at this inn gets one; all you have to earn one is make sure that no one besides me follows him."

' _Damn, she's paying them to sit here and keep us from doing anything to stop Ragna, and looking at the mercenaries here they'd do it,_ ' Jonathan thought with ire as the woman headed out the doorway. ' _Aaron told me that Ragna had been training himself in… something, but this is far too much for him! Traveling in a group of four is one thing, but monster hunting alone is going to get him killed! ...And here I am with my hands tied._ '

 _ **-Later- Forest's Edge**_

"Well it certainly looks like it's been through here," Ragna thought aloud as he continued traveling east. The land before he looked like it had been trampled upon and scraped up in several places, arrows were left scattered in the ground here and there… and a body torn to gory pieces lay off to the side. "That blood still smells pretty fresh so the thing's probably close by."

The former Reaper kept his wits about him as he continued his search for the boar. He figured that if the thing was as big as the barmaid had told him, it wouldn't be that difficult to find. In fact, if half the stories were true the thing would be next to impossible to miss. If the thing wasn't asleep Ragna figured he'd hear the _Dire Boar_ during one of its rampages.

When something finally cut through the night's silence, it was the threatening squeal of the boar, but a howl; a wolf's howl. First there was just the one, then several others joined in the call to announce their presence. It didn't sound like the pack was that far away either.

"That's another thing to worry about," Ragna muttered before he heard heavy trotting coming from the treeline. He got into a battle ready stance and readied his _Azure_ , causing his eyes to glow slightly in the darkness. The ground began to shake uncontrollably as the creature bound forward. When it finally got through the forest's edge it bashed through the treeline, not even slowing as the foliage was turned to splinters. "... _Now_ I get what everyone was talking about."

The _Dire_ Boar was at least five times the size of any wild boar Ragna had hunted with Emily and it looked at least ten times as intimidating. The monster had three tusks on each side of his snout that were each the size of broadswords and had points as sharp as a masterfully made spear. The creature had around a dozen arrows in it and five visible weapon marks, none of which looked like they'd made it very far past its thick hide. It's eyes seemed to hold a feral intellect as it stared down Ragna and breathed deeply out of its snout; the only warning it would offer him for trespassing on its territory.

He wasn't in the mood for backing down.

Getting up on its hind legs, the feral creature gave a bloodthirsty squeal before slamming to the ground and sending out a small shock wave. Ragna managed to keep his footing, but he was still shaken by the power from the creature's enormous bulk.

' _Dammit, I'm still out of practice._ ' What he'd been doing was refining his techniques; the only way to truly prepare for a fight of this caliber was to get into a real one and last night's brawl against the goblins couldn't suffice. He needed to get into real fights, and this looked like the perfect place to start.

The _Dire_ Boar took off at Ragna with the raw power of a freight train. Not wanting to get hit head on, he dove out of the way at the last second so that the animal had to dive its feet into the ground to stop and try to turn. Using the distance to his advantage, Ragna charged his _Azure_ into his left arm.

" _ **Sapphire Spike!**_ **"** Ragna shouted as he swung his arm upwards, sending out a massive cluster of _Azure_ in the form of a _Black Beast_ head. The attack sailed along the ground before it cleanly struck the creature in its side. The boar squealed and appeared to be bleeding, but it looked like the attack had angered it more than Ragna had damaged it.

The wild boar dug its large tusks into the ground before unearthing the ground and sending a cloud of dirt and several large pieces of debris at its hunter. Ragna quickly summoned a _Grimoire Blade_ and slashed through the clumps of ground turned into projectiles. Using the speed he'd worked hard to gain back he managed to cut them to pieces, but the _Dire_ Boar charged out of the cloud. The former Reaper tried to get out of the way, but one of its sharp tusks managed to scrape across his chest, tearing his clothes and drawing a large spray of blood. Ragna grit his teeth from the pain before swinging his conjured sword across the animal's side, leaving a much deeper gash and causing it to lose its footing and slide on the rough ground.

"Thanks to you I need a new shirt," Ragna heatedly muttered as the _Azure_ sword faded from his hand. Once the boar had again regained its footing, it again dug its tusks into the ground before returning swiping towards Ragna and sending another wave of debris and dust. Ragna sidestepped and weaved through most of the rocks, but one of them almost struck him directly before he swatted it in half with his right hand. The moment it was out of his face, the boar instantly appeared through the smokescreen in its rapid charge. "Not happening! _**BLUE FANG!**_ **"**

His right arm once more engulfed in flames, Ragna brought forward a devastating punch to the boar's snout. The monster squealed painfully as it once more got on its hind legs in an attempt to slam down its massive bulk on top of its hunter. Not having any time to call out his moves, Ragna created another _Grimoire Blade_ before he drove it in a skyward arc and cut the boar along its entire underbelly.

' _C'mon, fall over!_ ' Ragna demanded in his thoughts. He was unrewarded as the monster managed to slam forward, sending small chunks of debris up at the airborne youth like bullets. ' _Shit!_ ' Ragna tried to form his _Azure_ in front of himself to form a shield, but he was repeatedly pelted by anything that managed to get through. "Son of a bitch! _**Cerulean Edge!**_ **"**

Diving downwards with his _Grimoire Blade_ , Ragna managed to but the _Dire_ Boar in its neck, leaving a deep gash that should have been fatal. Blood did spray from the wound, but instead of of falling dead the monster heaved its mighty bulk and slammed into Ragna. The ex-Reaper had managed to quickly thrust his sword forward to impale the creature, but he was still sent flying through the air and barely managed to land on his feet.

"I've had _enough,_ " Ragna said through his clenched teeth. Pouring an even larger amount of _Azure_ to his summoned weapon, causing the flames to ripple with power. The _Dire_ Boar glared it's savage eyes down at him as it braced it body and prepared to charge. Ragna didn't falter under the threatening glare and continued to pour more and more _Azure_ into the sword, making it larger and causing it to blaze uncontrollably. The _Dire_ Boar let out a war-like squeal before it charged at him at full tilt. Letting out his own battle cry, Ragna ran forward to meet the savage charge with his own.

" _I'LL CARVE YOU-!_ " Ragna shouted as he brought the sword down messily cutting the Boar through its large snout and sending it off balance, but before it could fall over Ragna spun his entire body for a follow up slash. " _-TO PIECES!_ " The familiar scissor-like tendrils extended from the burst of _Azure_ he'd created, but the burst also grew in size and force until it slammed against the boar like a massive ocean wave. Themonster gave a final shrill squeal before it final toppled over and hit the ground.

"Stupid pig…" Ragna groaned as he finally let the _Grimoire Blade_ fade away while he tried to catch his breath and ignore the splitting headache he'd incurred. Glancing down to the tusk wound he'd gotten, he saw that it was still trying close itself and it didn't look like it'd fully heal any time soon; his healing factor wasn't a tenth as strong as it once was and the wound he'd gotten hadn't even been from _Ars Magus_. "And here's another thing I need to work up… Dammit."

 _Flashback -One Month Ago-_

The sun was already setting as over the horizon as day slowly transitioned to night. Ragna was in his private training area in the woods as he continued to transfer his old _BlazBlue_ based moves to the new _Azure_ based form of energy. Despite having all of the time in the world to train, he was starting to get impatient with the lack of progress he was having. Something was missing, something that he couldn't get back with daily training.

' _This is supposed to be the limitless power of the Azure_?" he rather irately thought to himself. ' _I use it to reset my own world once and then I have to say goodbye to it? What the hell?_ ' Stopping the fierce _Blue Fang_ attack he'd been practicing, Ragna came to a halt. Still fairly annoyed, he stared at the blue wisps of flames that were fading from his hand. ' _Maybe it's just locked or some shit, meaning if I need to unlock it_...'

Ragna took a ready stance and dug his feet into the ground as he carefully channeled the _Azure_ throughout his entire body. Closely his eyes, he held up his right arm and grabbed it at the wrist with his left hand to help control the sudden release of power he was about to attempt for the first time in this world. He slowly inhaled then exhaled as his body became covered in a light coat of _Azure_ flames.

" _ **BLOOD KAIN!**_ **"**

It was immediately apparent that had been a poor decision; Ragna felt his entire body wracked with unbearable pain as the flames immediately turned pitch black. They disappeared completely after only a moment, but the mere moment they'd been present was enough to kill off the grass surrounding Ragna in an eight foot radius and the branches above him to rot away. He fell to his knees and had to fight to keep his upper body off the ground before he violently vomited.

"Not… trying that… again…" Ragna moaned to himself through labored breaths as his body continued to feel painful strain from the backlash.

 _Back to the Present_

"...It's always some damn thing," Ragna sighed as he looked over the slain _Dire_ Boar before him. "Now I need to get this thing back to the Inn to let them know it's dead."

Unbeknownst to the Reaper, the mysterious woman from the inn was watching him from the air. There was a large white circle of different magic runes underneath her keeping the woman afloat at the high altitude while the air around her shimmered like the heat from a fire, allowing her to be unseen and unheard. While Ragna was complaining to himself and lamenting his loss of power, she had a very different impression of him.

"He's even better than I thought he'd be!" she exclaimed excitedly under her darkening hood. "When I saw the murderous aura and corruption in his soul I was skeptical that anyone his age could be that dangerous of a killer, but his power's prove otherwise! Perhaps, he's traveling with those merchant's as a wolf in sheep's clothing. Speaking of which..."

The wolf's howl heard earlier sounded once more, this time much closer to Ragna. The ex-Reaper turned to the treeline that the _Dire_ Boar had burst out of and saw a pack of twelve wolves slowly emerging with their fangs bared, growling at him. He sent a harsh glare to the wolves as he summoned his _Grimoire Blade_ once more. The alpha of this pack of wolves took position in front of the others and readied itself to pounce.

"Don't think that your night will end easily," the enigmatic woman from above chided, though she knew Ragna couldn't hear. "A _Dire_ Boar, these wolves feral with hunger, and who knows what else I can find? You'll have your fill of bloody battles tonight, something to satisfy your adorable little bloodlust while I see just what you can do with that power! Don't disappoint me!"

 _ **SHING!**_

The perverse look of ecstasy on the woman's face grew as she heard the sword swing through the air with ferocity, but that feeling turned to confusion as she observed that not a single of the wolves had been slain, instead the six oversized tusks of the dead boar were chopped cleanly from the rest of the beast. The rest of the wolves continued to growl, but Ragna was quick enough in his work. Tearing off his ruined shirt, he managed to make it into a small wrap for the tusks and carried them out of there in a hurry. With the threat gone and a fresh kill left in front of them, the wolves wasted no time in tearing into the _Dire_ Boar's carcase.

"Well this sucks," Ragna muttered as he headed back to the inn with the tusks he'd acquired as proof of slaying the creature. "The least I could've gotten from that thing was some bacon."

"He's leaving? Just like that?" the woman pondered aloud with a hint of disgust in her words. "You endured a gruelling fight to kill that boar, and you just leave it for the wolves?! Why did you not slay them as well!? Are you really the killer I thought you to be!?" Gripping her brow under the hood and shaking her head the woman let out a groan. "I've wasted my time with him long enough. He's clearly not the one I want… and yet I can't help but continue to be intrigued."

As the woman seemed to fade through a ripple of reality, Ragna paused in his trek back to the inn and looked to the sky where the woman had been secretly watching him. "Weird... all of a sudden I don't feel quite as pissed…"

 _ **-Later- Fortune's Step Inn**_

When Ragna finally headed back inside the Inn he found several of the mercenaries seemed to be moving a bit more… sluggish than they had been earlier. The heavier scent of alcohol hit Ragna the moment he took a step into the Inn, nearly causing him to nearly gag. The several mercenaries gave a him and amused look and a chuckle as he walked inside. The ex-Reaper promptly decided he'd ignore them and headed for the front desk, still carrying the six tusks in his ruined shirt. The old dwarf sitting behind the desk looked up as he approached before noting the proof of the beast's death.

"You actually managed to do it," he said, sounding mildly impressed. "I guess that woman was right about you. What'd you do? Hit the damn thing with magic?"

"Yeah, I got the talent to use it," Ragna responded mildly, though his thoughts were focused elsewhere. ' _Woman?_ _Something tells me he isn't talking about Silvana or Emily…_ ' "Who the hell's the lady you're talking?"

"Some stranger who was standing against the wall, drinking some prissy wine that she'd brought with her. Real secretive that one, wore a hooded cloak and everything… You sure you didn't see her? She said she was going to watch you fight the Boar."

"Must've missed her," Ragna dismissed bluntly though his internal thoughts told a different story. ' _Someone followed me and I never noticed? This sounds like trouble. If she saw my Azure…'_ ' Trying to move on, he placed the tusks on the counter. "So what's my reward?"

Nodding his wizened old head, Heathson reached under the desk and tossed to Ragna… three gold coins. "Don't spend it all in one place," the dwarf said with a chuckle before adding. "Unless you do it here."

"This is it?" Ragna thought with great disappointment as he looked at the the coins in his hand. _'Maybe I should have kept one of those bags for myself after all.'_

"That's the bounty I put on the damn thing, that's what you get paid for killing it," the inn's owner said before looking at the tusks. "Throw the tusks in though and I'll give you another gold, maybe some gear so you don't have to go bare chested everywhere."

"...Fine, you've got a deal," Ragna muttered, starting to feel a bit more self conscious of being shirtless, even if he didn't have his _BlazBlue_ or artificial arm.

"Good choice," the dwarf said before reaching under the desk and grabbing another gold piece. "Grenda! Grab our boy here the set in the back! And get him some food while you're at it! I'd say he's earned it!"

"Finally I can eat something," Ragna muttered to himself before he glanced towards the dining area. Sitting at one of the otherwise empty tables was Jonathan, who continued to look at Ragna expectantly with his arms crossed like he'd been waiting for him. Sighing, Ragna headed over to receive whatever lecture awaited him. "Yeah, what do you want?"

"I hope you're happy with yourself," Jonathan said with a very tested tone. "I was worried what Aaron would have to say to me when he found out that you were killed by a _Dire_ Boar your first night out of the village."

"Didn't see you come out to stop me," Ragna muttered as he took a seat across from the merchant.

"I had my hands completely tied on the matter," Jonathan told him tiredly. "That woman Heathson was talking about paid everyone off. She gave them all a piece of gold so that no one would try and follow you. They certainly wouldn't let me out on my own either… What did she want from you?"

"Can't say, I never saw her," Ragna muttered as he thought back.

"Don't give me that, I saw her follow after you," the merchant scolded bitterly.

"I'm telling you I never saw the lady," he repeated before sighing. "Anything else happen since I've been gone?"

"Half of the mercenaries that we hired passed out drunk after they spent most of their gold piece on drinks," Jonathan told him disdainfully. "Just make sure you're ready to go when the time comes, despite how late that might be because of them."

"Yeah, yeah, still haven't decided what I'm going to end up doing though," Ragna told him as he crossed his arms. "You have any ideas of where I should go?"

"None in particular, but remember who you're traveling with. I don't know how you managed to beat that _Boar_ , but if you do anything that stupid again you're going to get someone killed. You've got a responsibility to yourself and the others… Don't chance anything you don't have to."

"...Alright, you don't need to tell me twice," he finally agreed. "For the record I didn't want them to come along in the first place."

"No such luck there I'm afraid," Jonathan told him with a chuckle. "You might've been able to turn down Eric if he'd have asked, but I think Emily's a different story. Have you ever really had a say when it's come to her?"

"Shut it gramps," Ragna told him, causing the old man to laugh at the truth in his words.

A few moments later, Heathson's daughter, Grenda, brought over a tankard of what appeared to be beer. She also carried a shirt made out of thin interlocking chains (a chain shirt if you will), a jacket made out of dark brown leather, some leather pants, and a pair of thick leather boots. Some parts of the chain shirt looked like they were beginning to rust and the leathers were torn in a few places, but Ragna figured it was better than walking around shirtless.

"Those don't appear to be dwarven made," Jonathan noted as Ragna started by putting on the chainmail shirt.

"Pa had got them from a sellsword that couldn't pay 'is bill," Grenda explained. "Damn fool tried to run off without payin' and my brother managed to give him the worst beatin' he'd ever git."

"Stories like that are why I remind myself to never cheat a dwarf out of a deal," Jonathan said with whimsical smirk, earning a bit of laughter from Grenada. "You'd do well to take a note of that yourself Ragna. You won't last long otherwise."

"Whatever," Ragna said as he stuck his arms through the jacket's sleeves. The jacket was heavier around his shoulders to provide extra protection there. Both sides reached down to his waist. The front of the jacket needed to remain open so it showed the chainmail shirt beneath it. Taking his old shoes off, Ragna slipped the new leather pants over his old ones and put on the leather shoes. "I can't exactly praise the quality, but it's better than what I had before at least."

Feeling content enough at how things were progressing Ragna took the tankard he'd been offered and took a short swig. The stuff was a little strong for the ex-Reaper's tastes, but the taste after the initial alcohol hit was rather flavorful, a good bitter flavor with a hint of sweetness.

"So, where are the others?" Ragna asked as he took a seat while he waited for his meal to arrive.

"Emily came down not long after you'd left to order food… She was even less happy than I was when she found out that you'd left to hunt," Eric said before taking a swig of his own beer. "Funnily enough she sounded more annoyed with what you'd done than worried that you'd come back in one piece. Apparently she knew something that the rest of us didn't."

' _Just like I always felt whenever I had to deal with Rachel,_ ' Ragna reminisced before taking another swig from his tankard, now a bit more used to the beer's taste and texture. "You know what room they're staying in?"

"Second floor, third room on the right," the merchant told him as he held his chin in thought. "I saw our young dwarven bar maid taking several tankards upstairs with their food. I wonder if Eric's enjoying his chance to drink like we thought he would."

' _Mercs_ _might not be the only ones with hangover's tomorrow,_ ' Ragna thought bitterly to himself.

 _ **Later -Upstairs-**_

After getting some food and finishing up with Jonathan, Ragna headed upstairs to the room that Jonathan had told him he'd find the others. Steeling himself for another lecture from Emily, he opened the door to find her sitting on a pile of hay that was supposed to be a bed, sharpening her arrows. Eric laid off to the other side of the room, apparently having passed out after he'd downed the beer he'd order. Silvana was on on her own pile of hay reading a storybook that she'd borrowed from Jonathan and appeared to be absorbed in it.

"Calling it a day?" Emily asked, not looking up from her work.

"Yeah, seemed like a good idea," he answered as he crossed his arms. "You're not pissed at me are you?"

"Not really, just a bit disappointed I couldn't go with you," she told him as she put the last of her arrows back in her quiver. "We used to go hunting all the time, remember?"

"Yeah, we used to get into a lot of trouble whenever we tried it at night," Ragna noted, before he remembered fully. "No, that's not right... _I_ got in trouble, I always had to take the fall for you."

"I never asked you to, you always just insisted that it was your fault. If anything it's your problem for trying to take the blame every time," she reminded him with a smug smile as she finally looked up. "Nice armor."

"I'm pretty sure that old dwarf was just trying to get rid of it, but I'll take what I can get," Ragna said as he towards a separate hay pile and jumped in. "...You thinking about home?"

"Not really; we've only been away for a day and we spent most of it sleeping on a wagon. Maybe I will once we start traveling around a little on foot. What about you?"

"A little, but I'm mostly thinking about how much trouble Aaron's going to have taking care of the church without me," he told her was a snarky smile.

"It almost sounds like you wanted to leave just so you wouldn't have to watch the other orphans," Emily said with her own smirk before turning serious. "Why did you leave anyways?"

"What d'ya mean?" Ragna asked back.

"Well ever since we were kids you've always wanted to go to the _Mage's Guild_ , but now that we're actually on our way you don't exactly seem that annoyed if we end up going the other way and, let's face it, you get annoyed easier than anyone I know." Ragna had a hard time arguing with his friend. "Just what are you really trying to do?"

Ragna tried his hardest to come up with an answer, but failed; what was he trying to do? The world wasn't really in any danger as far as he could tell and it didn't look like they were living under a bloodthirsty tyrant… so what did he _want_ to do?

"...I dunno, I'll just take whatever comes my way really," he told Emily weakly.

"Plan," Silvana said without looking up from her book. "Make plan."

"She's got a point, I'm not sure how much you were planning to wander on your own, but if you're going to be leading the three of us you should have something ready for the road ahead."

"Alright, alright, I'm thinking it over. Jonathan already lectured me enough downstairs," Ragna grunted as he laid his head back on the hay pile. Emily shook her head and saw this as a sign that his attitude wouldn't change at all. Little did she know that over an hour later, long after Silvana had put out her lantern, Ragna was still trying to come up with something.

 _ **(Writer's Note IMPORTANT POLL: If you're a frequent reader of**_ _ **A Reaper's Awakening**_ _ **, you'll already know that this particular piece of fanfiction will be getting far more frequent updates and this here is the reason why.**_

 _ **I'm trying to make this story have a bit more of an open world environment, meaning there's no one set direction to go. But don't worry, even if the story goes one way there's an almost certainty that the quest/chain of events will be waiting for you when you go back or will be covered in a different location.**_

 _ **The polls will always be up on my profile at the time of an update. Don't have an account? Vote in the comments. Here are your choices for our first crossroad.**_

 _ **Head North as intended and continue the journey towards the Mage's Guild.**_

 _ **Follow the caravan and mercenaries to the West towards the ceremony.**_

 _ **Travel East towards the Castle Town to seek out your fortune.**_

 _ **This won't apply to every decision, but it'll give me an idea of what type of material you guys want me to write about for this story. Anyways, that's this chapter. Ciao.)**_


	4. The Holy Horizon

_**Blue III: The Holy Horizon**_

' _Damn… My head hurts,_ ' Ragna thought as he rose off his pile of hay with a low groan. ' _If this is from that one drink I had last night I don't want to think of how Eric's going to feel when he gets up_.' Looking around the room he saw that the others with still fast asleep (or passed out in Eric's very unfortunate case). "Get some sleep while you can guys," he said in a soft voice. "...'Cause we're goin' on another long wagon ride."

Heading downstairs, he was hoping to see Jonathan so he could talk about what he was planning to do when the caravan headed out. When he got to the bottom of the stairs however he found that the only people down there were the mercenary leader Zeus of Chains, Kenneth the caravan Blacksmith, Grenda the dwarven serving girl, and a few odd patrons that had stayed the night previous. Seeing Zeus and Kenneth sitting at the same table, Ragna figured he'd check in with them.

"So the man of the hour arrives," Kenneth said sternly as Ragna approached the two. "I heard a few stories about your triumphant return."

"You got a problem with that?" Ragna bit back as he took a seat at the table. "I was already given two of these lectures yesterday, I'm not in any mood to make it three."

"Heh, where do you get off with a mouth like that?" Kenneth asked with a small chuckle. "I'm not going to lecture you; you can do what you want for all we care."

"Works for me," the former Reaper agreed. "Speaking of which, I was kind of hoping we'd be able to tag along for the religious what's-it in the west. That okay with you?"

"I don't see why not, but I think there's something we should make perfectly clear," Kenneth began, leading Ragna to roll his eyes at what he assumed would be a lecture despite the Blacksmith's earlier claim. "Zeus and his men will respect our contract, but they'll follow it down to the letter, meaning they'll only look after the caravan."

"We're just doing what you paid us to do, we're not bandits," the manacled mercenary told him. "But what he's saying is true; if the caravan comes under attack we're to guard the cargo and the five merchants. If you want, you can either pay us to guard you as well or you can make sure you stay where it's safe."

' _That's what this is about then,_ ' Ragna thought to himself. ' _Now that I think about it would the others be okay if we got attack? I mean I've been handling most of the fighting up to this point, but what about everyone else? Emily and Silvana should be fine if I keep 'em in the back, but what about Eric? Sure he's got that crossbow, but I get the feeling that he's going to need to learn to use that axe of his sooner or later, and then there's the chance that someone would go after the girls…_ '

"Hey, do you teach lessons Zeus?" The grizzled mercenary raised his eyebrow at the question, but eventually nodded. "Good, I think the guys in my group could use a couple of pointers."

"If that's the case, then why don't you show them a thing or two yourself, _Boar Killer_?" Zeus asked.

"Are you kidding me? I'm no tea- Wait, _Boar Killer?_ What's that supposed to be?" the _Azure_ wielder demanded.

"Your title? Your new family name? Whatever you want it to be really," Zeus told him. "It's what you'll be known by when people start to gossip about your deeds. I don't think they'll be talking much though for killing a simple _Dire Boar_."

"Works for me, it's a stupid title anyways," Ragna the _Boar Killer_ said (doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?).

"Heh, well you've got to start somewhere," Zeus said with a chuckle. "But alright then, I'll give your friends some lessons, but if you want the ones that'll count you need to pay up."

"Ugh… There's always a price to pay," the ex-Reaper grimaced. "How much?"

"Three gold a person and I'll have them combat able in just a few hours," Zeus told him, furthering Ragna's strained expression. "There a problem with that?"

"I-I don't have close to enough for that; I only got four gold last night and that was it."

"You're not the one that needs to pay it, all of the others have their own money to use if they think it's worth getting their lessons," Kenneth told him. "As far as you go, I've got a piece to sell you if you're interested."

"A piece, you mean a weapon?" Ragna had to think that over. While it was true that he could create a _Grimoire Sword_ , his _Azure_ and other parts of his fighting style had been shown to have several problems with them. It wouldn't hurt to have an extra weapon, would it? "So what is it?"

"It's an old blade that I'd used to wield whenever I needed to defend myself," the blacksmith told him as he reached under the table and brought out a longsword covered in a leather sheath. "Recently though it's just been collecting dust in my cart which is why I think you could find a good use for it, even with your… whatever it is you had against the boar," he told Ragna before handing him sword across the table. "I already did some work on it before we left your town, go on. Tell me what you think."

The sword was about 4 feet in length and seemed to have a much thicker blade than most swords, but lacked a real point at the front which would make it harder to stab with. Instead of a sheath it was given a set of leather straps that'd go over his shoulder and keep the weapon exposed, yet easy to draw. Upon closer inspection Ragna could clearly see the nicks on the blade's edge, the several scratches, and the rust that had faded into it. Even still, the steel looked durable and the edge looked like it'd be able to cut without much difficulty.

"This thing looks like it's gotten some use," Ragna noted. "You lead an exciting life?"

"For a simple blacksmith _I'm_ still surprised," Kenneth admitted. "That blade has done good by me during its golden days, it'll do good by you for its twilight. Just make sure you know what you're hitting or the blade will crack, that being said it doesn't have too many uses left and if you try to be gentle with it you could wind up dead."

"So what you're saying is… what exactly?" Ragna asked.

"Treat your blade like weapon, not a tool. A sword's not a sword if you can't use it like one; give it the proper respect and you'll get your money's worth out of it."

"And just how much am I paying for this thing?"

"Two gold, and that's a pretty steep discount I'm giving you," the Blacksmith told him. "I doubt you'll find as cheap a blade anywhere and there's nowhere you'll find one with this kind of quality."

"Well when you put it like that what kind of choice do I have?" Ragna told him with a whimsical smile and tossed him two of his four remaining gold. Kenneth caught the gold out of mid air, satisfied with the deal while Ragna put the sword straps over his shoulder. "Anything else you wanted to talk about, or is that it?"

"Well I suppose I should let you know that we're going to be switching everyone around on the wagons now that we've got mercenaries traveling with us," Kenneth explained. "Doesn't look like you'll be riding with Jonathan for today."

"Eh, that's not a big deal, long as I can rest," Ragna said with a casual shrug. "So who am I riding with?" Kenneth said nothing, in fact he refused to look the youth in the eye. "No… don't tell me…"

"She's been asking for you lad… I told her if you'd ended up coming with us I'd put you in her cart," the blacksmith tried to defend himself.

"Unbe-freakin'-liveble," Ragna groaned as he violently facepalmed.

"Want somethin' ta eat?" the dwarven serving girl, Grenda, asked as she approached the three's table carrying an already filled tub full of used beer tankards.

"Don't bother, I just lost my appetite," Ragna muttered darkly. ' _What have I gotten myself into?'_

 _ **Later -On the Road to Trudalla-**_

Out of all the people in the caravan, Marian was the only person Ragna made a point to avoid. The silk and rug seller was a pleasant enough woman; she was the youngest merchant in the caravan at only a few years older than Ragna (physically speaking), and had a friendly demeanor both while doing business and when she wasn't pushing her wares. Her hair was a striking blonde which she'd done into a bun in the back of her head and her unusual ruby eyes had a reputation of mesmerizing all who looked into them. But while she was well liked by most, Ragna needed to avoid her on a more… personal level.

It was no secret to anyone that Marian loved her work, but there were a limit to how much someone should be dedicated to their job, Ragna thought. Whenever Marian had a new outfit that she needed someone to try, she'd always go to him first thing. In her eyes, Ragna was the perfect model for her work. In fact whenever she'd wanted to make a new outfit she'd always use Ragna to try on the prototypes. One year during the caravan's visit to the village, she'd even paid him several copper just to stand outside her shop dressed in her newest outfit. Not knowing what he now knew, Ragna had agreed and was stuck standing outside in a strange suit with a tailcoat, a cravat, and a strange emblem design that was sown into the entirety of the suit… he hadn't made that mistake a second time.

"You know, that vest of yours could use some touching up," she said to him, breaking their long standing silence by simply throwing out a simple suggestion. At the glare she merely gave a small giggle. "What's with that look? I was just going to suggest that you take it to Edward."

"Well we both know that's a lie," Ragna grumbled as he crossed his arms. As fate would continue to have it for him, he was the only one traveling in the silk seller's cart, namely because she believed that the mercenaries smell and oils would ruin her products. That meant that even Ragna wasn't allowed to wait in the back during their journey and was confined to sit up front with Marian.

"Why is that whenever we talk to each other you're always so hostile to me? Have I ever done anything to wrong you?"

"...Just keep your eyes on the road and off of me, that so much to ask?" the ex-Reaper grumbled.

"Well with you it might just be." Marian's smile sent shivers down the Reaper's spine, and rightly so as she started to lightly brush his hair. "Such soft and silky white hair… Those deep blue eyes of yours… That powerful jaw… If you'd wear my creations to show the adoring public we'd make a fortune!"

"Hands off dammit," Ragna growled ferally as he swatted her hand away. "And I don't know why you're coming to me; most of your clothes are for women ain't they?"

"Well… maybe I could try doing some work on your hair, help you fill into the roll," Marian offered as she looked at Ragna's hair thoughtfully. "What are you thinking? Buns or curls?"

Ragna remained silent for a long moment before leaping out of the moving cart and landing on the ground. The silk seller was speechless as Ragna began walking forward, not bothering to address her. When she opened her mouth to speak to him once more, he sent a look her way that silently shouted a feral challenge.

While he grumbled and continued his journey on foot, Jonathan pulled his cart up besides him and looked down at the youth with concern. Emily was sitting next to him and the wagon had a few of the mercenaries sitting in back.

"Why aren't you riding with Marian?" the wizened merchant asked, earning only a grunt in response.

"I think I know, it's that suit that she made him wear a couple of years back," Emily said with a chuckle that made Ragna all the more annoyed. "You remember that frilly thing in the front?"

"Maybe I'll tell her you're looking for a dress with frills if you liked it so much," he threatened back and caused his friend to shut up.

"So… you realize that it's still a long way to Trudalla right?" Jonathan asked worriedly. Ragna gave a slow nod. "She won't sit with anyone else lad, that's the only way you're going to get around by wagon." No response. "You're going to trek the whole damned road on foot, aren't you?"

"Took you long enough to figure it out," the ex-Reaper stubbornly muttered. Jonathan merely shook his head at the display.

"You might as well get back on the wagon," he told Ragna, though not strictly. "If you plan on travelling with us this won't be the only time you have to travel with her."

"Why do you care? Even if I don't end up splitting away I can still walk," he muttered.

"Marian means well, she just sees you as… as sort of her perfect canvas," Jonathan told him. Ragna rolled his eyes, he'd been told this before. "Maybe you can strike a deal with her; come up with a suggestion for something that you could wear?"

"What on earth could she make that I'd-?" Ragna began before realizing the one thing he'd been missing. It was so obvious, why hadn't he tried that before now? Without another word he hurried back to Marian's cart.

"Funny, I thought it was going to take a lot more than that," Emily noted.

"Perhaps there's something he wants from her after all," the old merchant agreed.

When Ragna had found Marain again, the silk seller didn't say anything when he approached nor did she object when he climbed on the cart once more and sat beside her. He awaited for her to say something, but she didn't so much as look at him. Sighing, he decided he'd take a wary approach.

"So about the clothes you've been making…" he began, gulping as he saw the immediate twinkle that lit up in her eyes with those few words. "I was, uh, wondering if you'd take a request…"

"So there's something that you had in mind," Marian said with a smile that went from ear to ear, unnerving Ragna to no end as she put a hand behind his head and forced him to rest it on her shoulder. "Just tell your aunt Marie what it is you want…"

"Aunt!?" Ragna exclaimed as his cheeks began turning crimson while he broke out of the hold. This was one of the few times he was glad that there was no one in the cart besides the two; she was starting to treat him like a child. "I… I was wonder if you'd make me a jacket; a red one…"

"A red jacket…" Marian repeated, mulling over the designs in her head. "You mean like a fencer's jacket? I've made a few of those before, but they're far from my forte. Why would you want one?"

"I just though it'd look good on me, you know?" Ragna responded, trying to remain passive. While he was never one that was interested in fashion, he'd missed his old coat. The village he'd grown up in this time around wasn't exactly fashionable when it came to clothing, but now that he had a shot maybe there'd be someone to listen to him.

"Hmm… I suppose, but why red? I'd like to think that with those eyes of yours it'd make more sense to make one in blue. Your eyes would stand out too much if you did red… or is that why you wanted this color?"

"That's none of your business, I just like red okay?" Ragna told her. "Can you make it for me or not?"

"Well I should have some supplies, but it could take some time to create it, that and I won't do this work for free; you should get some gold ready before I start going to work on it. Which means…" she began with an eager smile.

"Which means… what?" Ragna repeated, growing nervous at the look he was getting from the merchant.

"Which means we'll have a lot of time to talk about the specifics of your little coat," Marian told him him happily. "Maybe we could even try to find something similar that you can wear until I get to work on it."

' _...You want the jacket Ragna… Just bite your tongue and deal with it…_ ' he told himself with a deep grimace.

 _ **Later -Trudalla-**_

"So this is Trudalla," Ragna thoughtfully said aloud as he walked into town beside the caravan.

The town was at least ten times as large as the village he'd come from and had a dozen times the people. The outer parts of the town were comprised mainly of farmland and the poorer people in town. Like Ragna's own village, these fields also looked like they'd been harvested rather recently. There weren't many farmers overlooking their lands, mostly it was well armored men who appeared to be members of the town's guard.

Stepping inside the stone walls of the city however, was a rather different story. The cobblestone streets were completely crowded by people traveling to each attraction of the festivities, there were stalls set up offering food, games, and other strange trinkets. There also appeared to be a strange wooden stage set up in the middle of everything. In front of the stage there were several men and women in robes who were talking to several armed men; some sell swords, some towns guards. But the other thing that stood out…

"Why all of the sun banners?" Eric asked as he glanced around. Indeed there were banners set everywhere, all of them depicting a sun rising over the horizon and setting forth golden rays. They were all spread around the many houses inside the town and there seemed to be a massive one hung on the mansion off in the distance.

"So it's the _Holy Horizon_ then. Odd, I would've thought that they'd have wanted to wait three more years," Jonathan said as the caravan parked their carts and along the inner wall and began setting up shop. "Ragna, we need to hurry if we're going to get my shop set before people start to lose interest."

"Got it," Ragna told him as he started unloading the merchant's cart in a hurry. "So Jon, what's this _Holy Horizon_ thing anyways?"

"What's the-? Did Aaron teach you anything!?" Jonathan demanded incredulously.

"Well he didn't teach me about this, and I'd never read about this in any of the books he's got in his library," Ragna said as he hurried to take the supplies out while each of his friends helped a different merchant. "So what is this, some sort of show?"

"It's a tournament, a selection tournament," Jonathan told him. "What do you know about the rankings between members of the churches?"

"I know the basics from the books," Ragna told him. "I think for the guys in the cloth it goes _Abbott, Bishop, Primate, Archbishop, Apostle,_ and then _Cardinal_. Then for the church's warriors I think it's something like _Zealot, Templar, Honor Zealot, High Templar, Paladin,_ and finally _High Paladin_."

"Correct… so far as I can remember," Jonathan told him as he began rearranging the crates that Ragna had set out. "Make sure you set the sweets out _last_ , I don't want anyone to try and grab any while we're setting up."

"Got it," Ragna confirmed while he grabbed a different case from the back. "So this tournament, it's to decide ranking in the churches?"

"Yes, but a very specific rank within their warriors, a rank known as the seven _Paladin Lords…_ Do you know why there are seven?"

"They really like the number?" Ragna smugly suggested, leading Jonathan to glare at him. "I get it, I get it, there's one for each of the seven gods. So this tournaments supposed to decide who gets to be one of the seven?"

"Indeed, but it's merely the first step of a long and proud tradition that goes back generations. It's a tournament open to all of the people, but if you're a person of the church you get to skip a few of the stages. What we're seeing here is a competition to see who's the strongest and if you'll even be considered. Also, Trudalla isn't the only town holding a tournament like this; towns across the kingdom will be doing the same. With some many towns doing this process you'd have to win flawlessly to have any chance of being chosen for the next stage."

"Sounds tough," Ragna commented as he looked at a few of the people signing up. Quite a few of them seemed to have a _grungy_ appearance "Funny, a lot of these people don't look like they'd care about being some church warrior."

" _Paladin Lord's_ are different," Jonathan told him as he finished arranging the final crates. "Each of them is assigned to a specific deity, and while they are considered members of the church their power also make them 'nobles of the spirit.'"

"The hell?" Emily demanded as she finished helping the leather worker, Edward, set up his cart. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you're considered to be of nobility, even if you don't carry a drop of noble blood. It's not uncommon for a _Paladin Lord_ to govern over a town… some kings of the past have even been Lords in Genreckor's name."

' _The so called 'King of the Gods_ ,' Ragna recalled from what Aaron had told him in his childhood and the disdain his fatherly mentor had for the deity's status among the others. "So… is there a prize for winning this stage at least?"

"...I believe so, they never say what it is though," Jonathan admitted before raising an eyebrow. "You're thinking of entering?"

"I could use a good fight, all I've had to really give me a challenge so far was that boar from last night. Makes me wonder how well I'd do going man to man," Ragna said as he and Jonathan put the finishing touches on their stall. "Plus," Ragna added as he glanced to his new sword on his back. "I think it's about time I gave this thing a test run."

"You won't be able to use that blade though," the merchant told him. "You'll be issued your weapons by the priests running the tournament, the only thing you can bring in is your armor."

"That so? Damn it," he groaned before unstrapped the sword and handing it to Jonathan. "Hold onto this for me, I'm gonna go sign up." The old merchant nodded as Ragna made his way over to the line; it was moving along quickly enough, but with so many people here he knew there was going to be a slight wait.

"You sure about this?" Emily asked as she and Eric got into the line as well.

"Come on, it's just a couple of fights, no big deal," Ragna told her passively. "Are you guys entering?"

"No, we don't have any real skills with our weapons," Eric began, earning him a harsh glare from Emily. "Well she's got her bow, but I don't think they'd let her use it in this type of fight."

"Oh yeah, speaking of that I talked to Zeus this morning. He said he could teach you guys a couple of lessons if you wanted but we'd have to pay him for it."

"Why can't you-?" Emily began before Ragna interrupted.

"I don't teach."

"Oh… Well how much is he charging?" she asked before glaring at Eric. "This idiot blew three whole gold drinking himself to death last night so he might not have the coin to pay for his."

"H-Hey, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity so I had to get the good stuff," the fellow orphan tried to defend. Ragna rolled his eyes before stepping forward and the line got just a little shorter. "A-Anyways, do we really need to keep all our gold separately? I mean couldn't we just keep everything together? Ragna can even decide how we use it since he's leading us."

"If that's what you want I guess," Ragna told them. "Let's talk about it later with Silvana, for right now you guys go on and enjoy yourselves."

"You don't want us to stick around and watch you fight?" Eric asked. "Come on, we can still support you in spirit."

"These first few fights are going to be slow and tedious, so don't stick around for those," Ragna told them as he thought back to the qualifiers for the _Tournament for Ragna the Bloodedge_. "Trust me, the show won't really start until the final rounds."

"Well if you insist," Eric said, seeming to get excited at the idea of heading out for even more drinking. The three then saw Silvana heading their way, her hood still up to hide her half-elf features from the masses. "Hey Silvana, you wanna go take a look around town?"

"...Okay," she said after thinking about it for a moment. "Ragna fighting?"

"Yeah, figured I'd get some more practice in," he told her. "Go on and have fun with these two, I'll catch up with you guys later."

"...Good luck," the half-elf finally wished before leaving with Eric and Emily following closely behind her. Ragna smirked before making his way forward once more, finally at the front of the line.

"Name?" the priestess sitting behind a small table asked him. The woman's clothing was a light gold and was adorned with several small trinkets and had a few religious symbols etched onto it. Ragna couldn't see much of the woman's features because of the how she wore her garb, but her tone suggested that she was an older lady of the cloth.

"Ragna," he told her simply.

"Well what's your family name lad? Or where are ye from?" she asked as she wrote the symbols that would spell out his name.

"Just Ragna," he told her. He wasn't as insistent on using his old title of _Bloodedge_ ; that name had already served its purpose he'd made up his mind to part with it long ago. Also… he wasn't in any hurry to start going by _Ragna the Boar Killer_.

"...Grow up without a family did you?" the lady asked sadly, annoying Ragna with pity that he hadn't asked for. "Poor thing… Do you have a preferred Deity to follow?"

"Reslavia," Ragna answered readily. He might not have had any devotion to speak of to any of the gods, but he'd grown up in her church and she was a goddess of choice and conviction… it was a fair choice for him to lean towards.

"A common decision of your ilk; a lot of orphanages dedicated to her," the woman explained as she wrote the name down. "What kind of weapon do you want lad?"

"A sword, one that takes two hands to wield," he told her. The priestess nodded and signaled to her members of cloth who grabbed a blade from the weapon rack before handing the large sword to him. Looking closely at the blade, Ragna could see that it was very dull, probably intentional with its design. This could keep the weapon from fatally injuring any of the people he'd be fighting. Ragna was about to put the blade on his back, before remembering he'd given his leather straps to Jonathan. "Do you have something I can carry this with?"

"I'm afraid not," the priestess said. "You'll just have to hold onto it with your own two hands. Ragna narrowed his eyes; that would cause problems with his old fighting style which he'd have his hands free of weaponry to perform unarmed strikes. Shaking his head, he turned to head off with his new sword. "Hold on just a second lad… You don't look the type, but do you use magic?"

"Yeah a bit," Ragna admitted before he turned to face the woman again. "Why? Is that a problem?"

"No, no problem, you just need to use this when you cast your spells," the woman said as she grabbed out a small amulet. It was made out of a simple carved stone and string with several runes on it that were glowing faintly. "Use this to channel your magic young man, it'll keep you from killing anyone when you do." Ragna didn't say anything, he just glanced downwards to the crude object and raise his eyebrow in doubt. "Well go on lad, try channeling into it."

Shrugging, Ragna started by sending just a bit of his _Azure_ energy into the stone, causing it to promptly shatter and turn to dust in his hands. The priestess appeared to be slightly unnerved at the display, but tried to retain her composure by grabbing another amulet and pressing it into his hands. Ragna sighed before channeling his power into it once more, the result ending the same as his first attempt. He glanced to the woman who seemed to be mulling over what she'd seen.

"Mayhaps the gods see his magic as unjust," a hooded man commented. His cloths were also a golden hue, but they were arranged more as covering for leather armor that likely lay beneath. The man also had a rapier at his side, showing that he was a warrior for a church. "Could this child be cursed… or practicing forbidden arts?"

"That's enough out of you," the older woman bit harshly. "His magic's just too unstable for any of the seals, isn't it lad?"

"I-I guess," Ragna said, glancing behind his shoulder and seeing that a few people were starting to grow annoyed that he was holding up the line. "Look, can I enter or not?"

"You can," the woman told him. "But you're forbidden from performing any type of spell craft, even healing. You'll have to rely on sword alone if you want to have any hope."

"Rrr… Fine," he said with a scowl as he walked off with the tournament sword and waited by the stage. ' _Damn, I have to carry this thing the whole time and now I can't use my Azure at all? This is starting to become a pain in the ass… This prize at the end better be worth the trouble._ '

"No magic on your side this time, eh _Boar Killer_?" Ragna heard the mercenary leader, Zeus of Chains, say as he approached.

"Don't call me that, it's a stupid name," Ragna grumbled as he crossed his arms. "So, did you enter the tournament too?"

"You're kidding… You think I'd have a place in there?" Zeus questioned before chuckling. "Me as a _Paladin Lord_ … There's a scary thought. Besides, even if I did get selected in this stage the next one is there to test your faith in the gods, something that I'm sorely lacking in… A church boy like you could make it through, maybe."

"Whatever," Ragna grunted as he glanced towards the stage and the priest that came onto the stage. Unlike the other members of the cloth, this priest had his hood down to reveal his long golden hair. As he surveyed the crowd and a large hush fell over the people. "Looks like we're about to start."

"Be careful," the mercenary told him as he turned to leave. "I've been hearing rumors about a powerful contestant on the west side of the town. Apparently he's the crowd favorite and they all think that he's going to take the contest handily."

"Well they haven't seen me," Ragna muttered as the priest on the stage raised his hands.

"Children of the gods! The church of the godly king and lord Genreckor brings you the thirteenth _Holy Horizon Choosing!_ " None of the people cheered, but a fair few of them made an odd gesture by taking a finger to the outer corner of their left eyes and dragging it in an arch up along their forehead and down to the outer corner of their right eye. "Now to explain the rules…"

"All duels are to be fought atop this stage our church has constructed. A duel is over when a contestant falls from the stage or is unable to continue. A weapon breaking will not be counted as disqualification, but a new weapon shall not be provided for the duration of match. Magic is only permitted through the provided amulets, any instance that defies this will be met with immediate disqualification… Is the will of our lord understood?"

"So he has willed us, so we shall follow," a collection of priests and commoners said in unison. Ragna raised an eyebrow at the odd display of religion, but decided to ignore it.

"Now, the first up to show their strength to the gods is… Ragna from the church of Reslavia," the priest said surprising the Reaper.

' _I'm up first? I guess it's not impossible, but what are the odds?_ ' he thought to himself before shaking his head and leaping up to the stage with sword in hand. The priest appeared somewhat startled, but tried to retain his composure. "So who am I fighting?"

"Th-that would be Harsk of the Destined Cliffs, fighting for the glory of the King of Gods," the priest said as Ragna's opponent climbed up the stage using a rope ladder on the side. The man was at least two feet taller than Ragna was, dressed in heavy hide armor, wielded a large two-handed axe, and appeared to be a seasoned mercenary. "May these two show their faith as their wills clash in battle."

"Save yer flowery gospel for the church goers! This a fight, not a sermon!" Harsk shouted as he readied his weapon.

"A-As you say," the priest said, not trying at all to hide his scowl. ' _This filth… Even if he gets through this round there's not a chance in hell his faith can guide him through the other trials.'_ The crowd had abandoned their silence, now cheering on the two contestant on the stage. "Begin!"

Harsk immediately charged forward as soon as the call had been sent out, taking a massive swing at Ragna with the axe. The silver haired youth brought the large blade up and managed to defend himself against the slash, but he was still forced back by the strength the much stronger warrior hard behind the blow.

' _He's trying to force me back!_ ' Ragna thought to himself as he tried to hold his ground as their weapons were in a blade lock. _'Dammit, if I don't think on something quick he'll push me off the stage._ '

With few options to work with, Ragna was left with the first thing that came to his mind. Taking his right hand off his weapons hilt, his opponent made a bit of progress with a downward slash, but the gain caused him to lose some of his footing. Ragna then smashed his fist into the back of the blade and sent Harsk stumbling back his with his large axe blade. He then roared as he took the opportunity to spin his body and send a powerful sword swing to the mercenaries side, resulting in a painful cracking sound as his blade hit home. The mercenary gave a painful grunt before falling to a knee in front of Ragna.

"Rrr… Damn you…" he growled with hate filled eyes. He attempted to stand, but was unable to and fell back on his knee while gripping his ribs.

"Looks like our first match has been decided," announcing priest said from the side of the stage. "The gods have seen fit to send Ragna of the Reslavia's church to the next round of trials."

' _So I win the fight and the gods take all the credit,'_ Ragna irkly thought before leaping off of the stage. ' _Whatever, I'm only here for the prize anyways_. _'_

A small collection of priest helped the fallen form of Harsk off of the stage and once they'd brought him down Ragna noticed a golden glow admit around where he'd struck. Once the light had faded Harsk was able to stand once more, but his scowl directed at Ragna remained.

' _Someone's a sore loser,_ ' Ragna thought with a sigh as the next two contestants got onto the stage; one appeared to be another sell sword with an axe while the other wielded a spear and was dressed in farmer's clothing. _'Seems like this is going to be a pretty one sided fight, but I guess as long as they can get healed up afterward there's not much to worry about._ '

 _ **Crack!**_

Ragna's thought died there as he watch the farmer fall to the ground, a deep indent in his head where the mercenary's blunted axe had hit him. A deadly hush fell over the crowd as the priests made their way up the stage to examine the fallen body.

"...It is done, he has returned to our creators," a priestess said in a monotone voice as she gently closed the farmer's eyes. "His death was most honorable; he died with his faith. His sun has set-"

"And his night has fallen," the crowd finished, though far fewer people had spoken out this time. The mercenary on the other hand looked rather pleased with himself and gave a smug grin before leaving the stage.

' _So that's how it is,_ ' the ex-Reaper darkly though to himself. _'They've give you blunted weapons and weaker amulets so that your attacks aren't as lethal, but death's still part the game._ ' Looking to the mercenary that had won the fight, he noticed the evil grin on the man's face and scowled. ' _And it doesn't look like there's going to be any penalties for killing either…'_

Ragna was left resting on those thoughts while the fights continued, a few of them ending in deaths, but not all of them. The first round of fighting had proceeded about as slowly as he'd expected, giving him more time with those darker thoughts than was healthy. Finally he was called up to the center stage once more.

' _Might as well see this through…_ ' he thought as he stood on one end of the stage while the farmer killing mercenary took the other end.

"Hey brat," the mercenary said to Ragna, earning a glare for the former Reaper. "Why don't you step down? You don't want to end up like that weak farmer do you? It'd be such a waste for someone like you to-"

"Shut up already," Ragna muttered nonchalantly, angering his opponent. "If you think that you can scare me like that then you're as stupid as you look."

"Feh, let's see how big you talk after I've broken that face of yours," the mercenary threatened leaving Ragna to merely roll his eyes at the follow up threat. "Rrrr, I'LL KILL YOU!" The mercenary rushed forward before the priest had even started the match, surprising the onlookers in the crowd.

The mercenary brought his axe down with a heavy swing that managed to leave cracks on the stage after Ragna had dodged. The mercenary then followed up with a second powerful strike with Ragna managed to deflect before coming in with a strong punch to the mercenary's face. The fighter seemed to take the blow easily enough and responded with another reckless axe swing which Ragna barely managed to avoid.

' _These guys aren't gonna go down as easy if I wanted. I guess that mean I'm going to have to try fighting smart for a change,'_ he thought as the two entered a blade lock before kicking the mercenary in the gut and sending him staggering back slightly before he tried throwing a sloppy punch. ' _This guy's not that fast and he seems pretty stupid to boot, I guess that means I'm gonna have to look for an opening in his swings._ '

The mercenary then brought his axe down upon Ragna once more in an enraged blitz, coming at Ragna with a haymaker like he'd been hoping for. Backstepping to avoid the attack, Ragna then leapt into the air before bringing down a powerful kick and sending the mercenary stumbling back. The moment Ragna landed he he swung a heavy blow with his sword which the mercenary barely managed to block. Rushing forward, the ex-Reaper then sent him flying back with an azureless _**Blue Fang**_. The combination finished the mercenary and he fell off the stage to the ground with dull thud.

"Whoa, I didn't think someone his age could attack that quickly," one of the townspeople said in awe.

"I didn't think he looked like much, but maybe he actually knows how to use a sword," another man said from nearby. "Do you think he could win against-?"

"Don't be ridiculous," a young lady snapped readily. "There's no way he could ever win that fight. He doesn't even come close to _his_ skill."

' _His skill?_ ' Ragna repeated in his head as he made his way off of the stage while the. ' _Must be the guy Zeus was talking about. Guess he's still the crowd favorite_.'

For the next few hours, Ragna was subjected to watching the other contestants fight while he waited for his turn to finally arrive. Just like the tournament that he'd witnessed back in his own world the fight just seemed to drag on and on, and Ragna was starting to regret his decision on entering.

' _At least I'm almost done_ ,' he thought glumly as stepped on the stage just after finishing the semi-finals match. His fights to get this far were starting to tax him,try as he might not to notice it. Several of the people that he'd fought against had further developed bodies than he'd had and they'd been several times more skilled than his first opponents. Even in his current state it would've normally been easy to take them out, but without the use of his _Azure_ and a better sword he was left to improvise with his style and the matches had dragged on longer than he'd wanted them to.

' _Damn, I'm not in great shape,_ ' he thought to himself with a scowl. ' _My regen's going to hell and if something goes weird if the priests heals me who knows what they'll do…_ ' His last opponent had been the hardest yet and he'd managed to get under Ragna's guard a few times with his hand axe and longsword fighting style. His armor had managed to take most of the damage, but he still wasn't in great shape. This wasn't helped by the fact that he was making a point not to kill his opponents while they held no such reservations. _'I'm being too damn soft here and it's costing me… I've just gotta hold on for one last fight.'_

"Ragna!" the ex-Reaper heard Emily call out to him. Turning his head he saw her heading towards him along with Eric and Silvana. "How'd it go?"

"I'm in the finals, but it was a pain in the ass to get this far," he told her before glancing over his shoulder. There were several mercenaries and other participants glaring harshly at him, still steamed that he'd managed beat them. "That and it looks like I'm making more enemies here than I bargained for."

"Hey, hey, now's not the time to lose hope," Eric told him with a mug in his hand.

"Seriously, you're drinking again!?" Ragna shouted. "Don't you have a damn limit?"

"It's just one drink, I haven't had any others," he defended. "Not to change the subject, but you better be careful. We got a look at a guy on the west side and he looks like he's going to give you a challenge, even with your magic."

"Seriously, he's that tough?" Ragna asked as he began to grow worried. "Damn, and I can't even use my magic 'cause I kept breaking those damn amulets…"

"He even managed to get through every fight until now without getting so much as a single hit in on him," Emily warned, and she didn't seem at all happy. In fact it looked like she was pretty annoyed. "Ragna, don't bother holding your punches against this guy, you're going to need to hit him hard."

"Alright?" Ragna responded unsurely. ' _What's Emily's problem? That guy tick her off or something?_ '

"Head over," Silvana said as she pointed towards the manor off in the distance. "Final match."

"Yeah, you got a point," Ragna agreed as the four made their way over. "It'd be stupid if I made it this far just to get disqualified because I was late."

 _ **Later -Mansion's Courtyard-**_

' _Damn it, where the hell IS HE!?_ ' Ragna raged internally as he stood at the decided battle arena and impatiently tapped his foot while waiting for his opponent to show up. The seats had already been filled with the large crowds and he himself had been waiting for over half an hour, so it was starting to tick him off that his opponent hadn't shown up yet.

"Hey!" Ragna shouted to one of the priests standing off to the sidelines. "Are we doing this or not!?"

"J-Just be patient, I-I'm sure he'll be here soon enough," the priest golden haired priest said nervously. Glancing around, Ragna could see that besides himself only close to 5 people that looked to be even slightly annoyed that they'd been made to wait, and that was including his three friends.

"Tch, you wouldn't be waiting right now if I'd have been late," Ragna muttered.

The final round of the area's _Holy Horizon_ tournament was to be hosted just in front of the Governor's garden. The bleacher seats had been set as sort of a makeshift ring that would encompass the two's battle with a rather small opening for the estates gates. With the lack of a stand, Ragna knew that this would be a fight until you drop match… but given the supposed level his opponent was at he wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"Grrr… Is he going to get disqualified or what!?" Ragna shouted, becoming further pissed by the moment.

"Y-you should have some manners," the priest tried to lecture. "The gods favor those who-"

"Who keep everyone sitting on their hands!? Get real!" Ragna shouted. He noticed that he was starting to get a couple of jeers from the people in the audience and narrowed his eyes as he turned to tell them off. "I'm just the guy saying it! We're all thinking it!"

"If you have a temper like that it's a wonder how you got this far. I was sure I'd be fighting someone with a much cooler head."

Ragna froze at those words while the crowd's boos at him turned to cheers as his opponent entered the ring. Slowly turning his head with indescribably mix of confusion and dread, Ragna's eyes landed on someone he'd never expected to see again. His clothing was exactly the same as how he'd remembered it; a loose fitting white robe-shirt with belts covering it, regular black pants, and his trademark red and black cape. His black hair was as long and shaggy as he'd remembered it and his violet eyes were narrow as the man carried the usual cocky grin that Ragna had always hated. In fact the only thing about him that looked different was his sword and tournament amulet he wore around his neck, but even the tournament sword that he'd needed to use was a long, oversized two handed blade.

 **(** _ **Cue Black Aggression)**_

"K-Kagura!?" Ragna grunted unintelligibly.

"Oh so you're a fan of mine, is that it?" the mysterious look alike said with a small chuckle. "Well if I'd known that leaving you to wait would get this much of a rise out of you I'd have hurried here sooner. Sorry about that, might've had a bit too much fun in town."

"That's not what I'm talking about you asshole!" Ragna shouted, causing Kagura's cocky smirk to fade. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? Isn't it obvious? I'm here because of my skills as a warrior," he responded smugly. "Didn't you hear? I made my way through all of my previous rounds without breaking a sweat. Sure it looked like I had a few close calls, but-"

"Not that you idiot! How did you follow me here!?" the ex-Reaper shouted, getting several murmurs from the crowd.

"Follow you here? Now you're not making any sense; this entire town's my home; I'm the governor's son, heir to rule," Kagura said, raising an eyebrow in concern. "You're sure you're okay?"

"What's wrong with Ragna?" Eric asked with worry. 'I'm never seen him lose it like this before."

"It looks like something about this guy's setting him off," Emily said, though she seemed just as confused. "He's acting like he knows him or something… but how's that possible? Ragna's never left the village before now, so how could they have met?"

' _What the hell is this?_ ' Ragna thought to himself frantically. _'Is this really Kagura or is this some sort of 'other' Kagura?_ ' "Hey, are you sure you-"

"Sorry to interrupt, but we've got a match to be getting to," Kagura told him before as he got into his familiar fighting stance before sarcastically adding, "And as much as I want to keep this fun little conversation going, I think we've both got better things to do… or am I wrong?"

"...Fine!" Ragna said as he brandished his blade with his own cocky smirk. "Then I guess I'll just have to beat those answers out of you!"

"You're not very popular with the ladies are you, like at all?

"Shut up! You're the last person I want to hear that from!" Ragna shouted before as he rushed forward and leapt into the air. With a roar he powerfully brought his blade down which was met by Kagura's who managed to hold him back with an eager smirk on his face.

"I don't think I heard anyone call for us to start, but if you wanna go now that's fine by me!" Kagura shouted before twirling his massive sword around his entire body twice like a propellor while it was covered in black flames. Ragna was barely able to dodge the powerful swings before his his opponent sprung forward with a lunging attack. The ex-Reaper blocked the strike, but he was still pushed back quite a distance.

"Come on, at least give me _half_ of a challenge!" Kagura shouted mockingly as he leapt into the air and drove his sword downwards. Had Ragna not moved back Kagura's attack would have likely broken several of his bones. As he landed the amulet on his chest began to glow as he swiped his arm and created a black fireball which Ragna was forced to cut in half with his sword.

"What's with this guy!?" Eric exclaimed as the Kagura continued to push Ragna back. The crowd was cheering hard now, calling for the Black Gale's victory.

"Ragna trouble," Silvana stated worriedly as one of Kagura's sword swings came close to hitting her friend square in the rib cage. Kagura then drove his sword into the ground and blasted it forward with a solid punch which Ragna was forced to block.

"The contestants from earlier were giving Ragna trouble because he couldn't use his magic, but the way this guy acts it almost seems like he might be able to beat him even if he could use it," Emily said before tensing her hands into angry fists. **"** _ **RAGNA! DON'T YOU DARE LOSE TO THIS PERVERT!**_ **"**

"Pervert?" Kagura repeated appearing hurt. "What'd I ever do to deserve that?"

"My guess is you tried flirting with her," Ragna growled as he held his sword at the ready but he didn't move. ' _Damn it, what am I supposed to do? I can't use my Azure but this Kagura's power isn't at 100% either. If I lose to him here I'll never hear the end of this shit!_ '

"What's wrong, not feeling up to attacking?" Kagura asked with a shiteating grin, succeeding in getting a low growl out of Ragna. "In that case I'll take the chance!" Rushing forward, Kagura raised the sword over his head to go for a low swipe.

' _Shit, he's even moving like the Kagura I know!'_ Ragna thought before it hit him. _'Wait a minute, in that case-!_ ' Instead of blocking, Ragna reeled up and performed a powerful swing behind him just as Kagura seemed to emerge from flames in his blind spot. The Black Gale was unable to defend against the strike and took a heavy hit to his right shoulder, interrupting his attack and forcing him to retreat. ' _...I've got an edge,_ ' Ragna finished with a smirk starting to form on his lips.

"So you managed to see through that one, not bad," Kagura said, giving a rare compliment. "But let's see if you can keep it up!" He then rushed forward once more, seeming to ride his sword as he came to attack Ragna. The ex-Reaper was quicker than him and leapt back to delivered a mid-air sword swing to Kagura while he was unable to defend himself. "Guh! That one too!?"

"Get used to it!" Ragna shouted cockily as he readied his sword for Kagura's next attack. ' _As long as I don't go charging in blindly I can know what Kagura's doing._ '

Kagura scowled before rushing forward with a kick which Ragna managed to guard against before Kagura tensed his muscles and went for a low sword swing which he leapt over to avoid. Knowing that his opponent was expecting him to attack while he was in midair, Ragna instead guarded so he was ready for Kagura's heavy upward slash with sent the user into the air.

' _Perfect!_ ' Ragna thought to himself as he landed with Kagura above him. ' _Now he's going to-_ ' Cracks started to appear on the limiting amulet that the Black Gale had around his neck as his sword began to give off a powerful glow. _'...do that._ '

" _ **Dragon!"**_ Kagura roared before plunging downward with a powerful blow which Ragna staggered against as tried to block the attack. _**"STRIKE!"**_ A giant explosion of raw energy nearly broke Ragna's sword and sent him flying until his back hit the wall. Kagura then rushed forward until he was right in front of his opponent with the dark flames dancing around his sword Ragna knew the attack that was coming.

' _Shit! I can't dodge this attack and if I block it my sword's done for…_ ' Ragna thought as time seemed to slow. _'I guess I could always..._ '

"It's over!" Kagura shouted as he reeled his sword back. _**"SUPREME INFERN-!"**_

"Is that lady taking her dress off in public?" Ragna questioned, stopping Kagura cold.

"Wha-!?" The attack halted completely for a brief instant, giving Ragna all the time he needed. He swung his sword with as much ferocity as he could muster, hitting Kagura directly in the chest and sending him flying as Ragna's blade shattered to pieces. The Black Gale painfully skidded on the ground before coming to a stop. "D-damn it…"

 **(** _ **End Theme**_ **)**

' _Yeah… that's Kagura all right,'_ Ragna thought to himself as he made his way over to his downed opponent. _'Though now that I get a good look at him he looks younger than the last time I saw him.'_ The ex-Reaper then craned his head as he heard a collection of angry shouts coming from the stands. "What's their problem?"

"Well… you did use a pretty dirty move to beat me," Kagura muttered from Ragna's feet as he looked up with a slightly irked expression.

Ragna scoffed. "It's your fault for falling for it," he said, offering his hand for the Black Gale to take. Being a gracious loser, Kagura accepted the offer and allowed himself to be helped by his opponent.

"The gods have made their decision," the golden haired priest addressed the crowd, though it was obvious that he was less than pleased. "These two have performed very well in their eyes, well enough for both of them to be considered potential candidates for the upcoming trials."

"Both of us?" Ragna questioned as he was forced to continue to support Kagura's battered form. "I thought that only one person was supposed to move on."

"Normally yeah, but I get the feeling it's because you beat me," Kagura admitted. "Sounds like they really want to keep me inside the tournament."

"If I'd lost?"

"No such luck," Kagura told him as he forced himself to stand on his own with a heavy breath.

"Tch, well it's not like I'm planning on heading for round two anyways," Ragna admitted as he made his way over towards the announcing priest.

"Here for your prize?" the priest asked with a scowl. Ragna gave a mild shrug in response. "Fine, take it."

Catching the object that was thrown at him, Ragna glanced down to see… an amulet. A steel amulet with magic carvings etched onto it. _'Don't tell me…_ ' he moaned before channeling the slightest surge of _Azure_ into the object. It shattered instantly, causing Ragna's scowl to only grow in intensity.

"...Thus the gods have made their judgement," the priest said with a demeaning smirk as he left the tournament victor with nothing more than a few broken steel shards in his hands.

"Damn, all of that for nothing," Ragna growled as his friends approached. "So how'd I do?"

"Not bad, given what little you had to work with," Emily teased him whimsically. Ragna rolled eyes at her sentiment while throwing the steel shards to the floor.

"I honestly thought you were in trouble there for a while," Eric admitted. "For the first half of the fight I thought that Kagura had you, but it looks like you pulled through… against the crowd's wishes anyways."

"Well done," Silvana told Ragna. The ex-Reaper glanced down at the half-elf with a small smirk before ruffling her hair, causing the young girl to softly giggle before she noticed another person approaching. "Kagura…"

The Black Gale stood before the four, a serious look on his face as he eyed Ragna. No one spoke and in that tense moment a single powerful gust of wind blew between them. "Hey," Kagura began, finally breaking the silence. "We don't know each other… right? You seem pretty adamant that we do."

Ragna was silent for a long moment before he eventually let out a short, exasperated breath. "I guess we don't… My mistake."

"Heh, guess it's bound to happen, even to me," Kagura said jokingly. "'Fraid I never actually got your name though."

"Call me Ragna," he said, finally introducing himself… well it felt like a _re_ introduction.

"Ragna eh? Heh, guess I'll have to make a point to remember it," the Black Gale said with a smirk before looking to Emily. "Apologies for not immediately talking with such a radiant-"

"Silvana, we're leaving," Emily ordered, taking the young half-elf's arm and violently storming off before Kagura could continue.

"...What'd I say?" Kagura asked, leaving Ragna to roll his eyes. "I guess I'll just have to make a point to visit you some other time; I don't like to leave these things half finished."

"Do everyone a favor and stop here," Ragna grunted as he headed out of the tournament arena with Eric. ' _Damn, I've been here for fourteen years and I haven't even thought about the idea of anyone from my world showing themselves until now… But if Kagura's really here does that mean that the other's are here too? How could they have gotten here? And just what is the real truth behind this world? ...I guess this means I got more shit to deal with.'_


	5. Blood of the Innocent

_Author's Note: Hello my dear readers, how are you on this fine day? Just a bit of a heads up, this chapter will include some new… let's call them 'mechanics' to the story. I'll explain what each one means as it arises; think of this as sort of a tutorial chapter for how I'm going to record some key information moving forward. At any rate I've also started a new story called 'Bloodedge of Fairy Tail.' Anyone care to take a guess what it's about? Enjoy the chapter everybody, there'll be another poll at the end relating to the next update of this story._

 _...Oh, and small warning, this chapter might deserve an independant 'M' rating for non-sexual reasons. I'm most likely overreacting, but it's a bit darker than what I normally write so let me know what you think._

 _ **Blue IV: Blood of the Innocent**_

"Looks like this is everything," Ragna noted to his small travelling group as they all looked at the money in front of them. The four had pooled all of their bags of coins together at a table in an Inn's dining area so they'd be using a group fund like Eric had suggested instead of leaving everyone with their own money. "In total we got twenty-six pieces of copper, thirteen silver, eight gold, and two platinum… So close to twenty-nine gold in total."

"Not too bad of a starting point, but we'll need to get more," Eric said as he took a sip of his coffee. "Much as I'd hate to take this hard of a hit to our funds first thing, we still need to think about Zeus's offer."

"If you didn't want to take a hit to our money you should've been smarter with the booze you were drinking," Emily said with a glare while Eric tried not to look guilty.

"That's beside the point," Ragna interjected. "Eric's right; we're going to need money and I need to make sure you three can take care of yourself."

"So you're sure that we should take the lessons?" Emily had to ask. "Zeus doesn't seem like a bad person, but we don't really know him well enough to trust him with this kind of money."

"Best we can say is that we'll pay him in full when I'm satisfied; half up front; the rest after," Ragna told them as he put the coin in a bag. "If he doesn't agree, then we'll have to figure something else out. Meanwhile… I'm going to have to do some searching."

"Job?" Silvana asked, leading to the leader's slow nod. "Problem?"

"Yeah, just look around," the silver-haired youth muttered. You'd have to be blind not to have seen the tension in the inn; farmers, town guardsmen, and even the occasional merchant were seated as they enjoyed their breakfast, all of them glaring at Ragna in disdain and loathing. "Doubt any of their kind would want to hire me."

"What's with them?" Emily questioned as she glared back.

"If I had to guess, it's 'cause of Kagura. The guy's probably the town hero or some shit like that, so a total stranger like me would probably get something like this after what went down yesterday."

"Maybe it has something to do with how you won?" Eric thought aloud, remembering the _distraction_ that Ragna had given Kagura.

"Its that idiot's fault for falling for it in the first place," Emily said heatedly in Ragna's defense. The ex-Reaper raised an eyebrow since he never expected his childhood friend to come to his defense like this, but then realized it was probably less for her support of him and more for her ire towards Kagura.

"Go talk to Zeus, I'll check to see if there's someone with any dirty work for me," Ragna muttered before one of the serving girls stepped forward. Nonchalantly glancing over his shoulder, he saw the harsh glare she was sending his way. "Whatever's fresh and warm, we're not the picky type."

"Fine, eight silver for the lot of you," told them, holding out her hand expectantly. Ragna didn't say anything as he stared her down over his shoulder, he merely narrowed his eyes. "What's the hold up?"

"...How much so you don't do anything nasty to it?" he finally asked. The woman looked startled at first, but eventually her complexion gave off an ugly smirk.

"One gold coin," she said confidently, sure that she'd get her money. Ragna sighed before tossing the bag to Emily to hold on to.

"No that's okay, I didn't want breakfast today anyways," he said grumpily as he headed out of the restaurant onto the busy streets of Trudall. The ex-Reaper winced as the harsh sunlight of the morning dawn hit him. ' _Let's go Ragna, grumbling all morning ain't going to get you squat…_ '

"That's him," he heard a young boy told from the side of the street. "My mom says if you talk to that _Cheat_ he'll rob you blind."

"How's that _Cheat_ still in our town? Shouldn't the Mutsuki family have run him out by now?" Ragna heard a man say of the other end of the street.

"You see that sword he's carrying?" a young guardsman asked his fellow recruits. "My money says that he's wandering around town looking for someone to use it on."

"He's probably on his way to steal breakfast," one mid-aged woman said before looking sternly to her kids. "Don't even look at him, his kind's nothing but trouble."

"No wonder the guy pickeed\d the church of choices, I doubt any other church would have a _Cheat_ like him," a young maiden gossiped with her friends.

' _These assholes are starting to piss me off_ … _'_ Ragna thought to himself as he grit his teeth. _'Forget finding work, I won't get the two decent words out of 'em…_ '

"Pardon me," Ragna heard a voice ask behind him ask plain. His eyes widened since he hadn't realized there was someone tailing him before they'd spoken. Whirling around and facing them though, he had his explanation. A familiar young raven haired boy with bowl cut hair garbed in blue. "My name is Hibiki Kohaku, I've been instructed by lord Kagura to find you and bring you to him."

"Yeah," Ragna said plainly as looked at the Mutsuki's aid. "And what the hell does he want?" People on the streets started murmuring to each other, commenting on Ragna's choice of words and letting him know he'd only made the situation worse for himself.

"I'm afraid he didn't tell me that much only that he wished to see you, hence why he instructed me to bring you to him," Hibiki explained as Ragna narrowed his eyes. "Do you reject his invitation?"

Feeling the ire from the glares around him, Ragna sighed and shook his head. Hibiki took that as an acceptance, so he began to lead him off into the town.

' _This damn well better be important,_ ' he thought in pure annoyance before realizing Hibiki's choice of direction. "Where the hell are we going? The manor's that way."

"That, unfortunately, will not be our destination," Hibiki said with a sigh. "Lord Kagura was rather adamant about that."

"Doesn't want me dragging mud into his house eh?" the ex-Reaper muttered as the two continued to walk. Though he was trying his best not to show it Hibiki's presence was starting to worry the Reaper; not only had he encountered Hibiki in more or less the same place he'd been back in the his home world adding to the mystery, Hibiki himself was almost scaring him. ' _Damn, what's with him? Even standing this close to him I can't hear even a trace of his breathing. And his stance… He's purposely walking that way so I can just barely hear his footsteps, but if he adjusted his footing even slightly I wouldn't be able to hear a damn thing…'_

"We're here," Hibiki said to him, surprising the Reaper. The inn they were standing in front of didn't look that fancy or anything, in fact it looked pretty run down. "Please, after you."

"...Whatever," Ragna muttered as he headed inside. Once passing through the doorway however, his mood seemed to an even further turn for the worse.

"Hey Ragna, so Hibiki found you then?" Kagura said with a haughty smirk. The Black Gale was sitting on a wide couch, surrounded by three scantily clad and buxom women. One blonde woman behind him had her arms gingerly wrapped around his neck and her head beside his, another brunette haired was leaning on his shoulder and tightly grabbed his left arm, and the redheaded third was sitting on his lap and rested her head against Kagura's chest. "What's wrong? Speechless?"

"Asshole, just a total asshole…" Ragna darkly muttered. Seeing him annoyed at the sight, the three women merely giggled and snuggled even closer to Kagura. "If you brought me here just to piss me off I'm leaving."

"Come on, this is just my favorite place to talk," Kagura said, like he hadn't done anything wrong before gesturing to the chairs in front of him with his head (as best he could with the women swooning over him). "Take a seat,"

Sighing harshly Ragna took a seat on moodily crossed his arms, his glare showing no signs of dropping. Hibiki sighed as he took the seat next to him muttering something under his breath about telling Kagura that this had been a bad idea.

"There's something I need your help with, call it a personal favor," Kagura said. Ragna was about to tell him off, but he noticed a barely visible shine coming from between Kagura's fingers; a single piece of platinum.

' _That seems a bit generous for him_ ,' Ragna thought. "What could you need my help with? From where I'm sta… sitting, you seem to be able to take care of yourself just fine."

"Normally yeah, but its not just either of our lives that are on the line this time," the _Black Gale_ explained as yet another girl came out, this time carrying several tankards she handed one to Kagura before offering two to Ragna and Hibiki.

"No thanks, it's too damn early for drinking," Ragna said, turning the offer down. Hibiki merely shook his head to dismiss his own offered beer.

"You're on edge…" Kagura muttered before taking a long sip from his tankard. "Damn, that's a good brew. So like I was saying, just after the sun came out this morning we got a visitor into our town; a farmer from a southern farming village called Liette. Pour soul was a bloody mess with an arrow stuck in his side. Said his village was attacked by goblins."

' _More Goblins…_ ' Ragna thought to himself as he remembered the group he'd stopped the night he'd left the village. "So you want the two of us to head out and wipe them out is that it?"

"Almost, it's the _three_ of us," Kagura told him, giving a gesture to Hibiki. "He might not look like much, but-"

"He can handle himself in a fight, I got it," Ragna muttered. "But if that's the case why the hell do you need me? You two should be able to take down a pack of goblins without a problem."

"That's what the snobby tradesmen staying in my father's manor said, the ones that cared anyways; the rest thought that one or two villages wasn't worth the effort of a _selected Holy Horizon contender._ "

"Damn those sons of bitches to hell I say," Ragna muttered, startling the ladies with his harsh words. Kagura stared at the ex-Reaper for a moment before laughing.

"Couldn't have put it better myself," he said with a more friendly smile on his face. "Maybe we see eye to eye more often than I gave you credit for."

' _Credit? What the hell's that supposed to mean?_ ' Ragna thought to himself as the girls on Kagura smiled at the words. The fact that he'd accepted Ragna's words and acted familiar with him started to give the ex-Reaper points, enough points in fact that he was surprised when the serving girl moved in to take a seat on his lap. "N-no thanks, I'm fine," he said trying to fight back the harsh blush on his face and failing completely.

"Maybe I spoke too soon," Kagura said with a shrug, the girls giggling and Ragna's scowl returning in full. "Back to business though, there's a reason I'm bringing you along. Before the farmer was forced to run from Liette he said that the goblins had carried off several of the townspeople; men that were too weak to defend themselves, their wives… and even their children." Seething with rage but trying desperately not to show it, Kagura grit his teeth. "There's even an old rumor; goblins think the small ones have sweeter meat."

You could hear a pin drop in the room.

' _So he's not taking any chances with this,'_ Ragna thought to himself. ' _And after hearing that there's no way that I can turn something like this down, even with as big an asshole as I am..._ ' "Alright, I'm in; just give me a sec to let my group know what's going on and we can leave."

"Sounds good, the village might only be a couple of leagues away and goblins are known for being nocturnal monsters, but I don't want to take any chances. Hibiki, think you can get three horses ready for us at the south gate?"

"Indeed, it'll be a simple matter to have them ready for us by the time you get there," the young assistant said with great confidence before turning to Ragna. "Just make sure the two of you don't make any side trips, that last thing I want is for master Kagura to delay us an hour or two with his antics.

"Isn't that a little harsh?" the _Black Gale_ questioned with a sigh as the girls beside him giggled.

"Well you left me hanging yesterday," Ragna reminded with a slight scowl. "But are you sure we're going to need horses?"

"What you didn't think I was going to have us run the entire way did you?" Kagura asked him. "You… you have ridden before, haven't you?"

"...I can learn quick, it won't be a problem," he insisted. ' _Or I'll figure out how to run beside them…_ '

"Good, so we're all set then," Kagura said before looking to the ladies with his usual charming smile. "Sorry girls, duty calls."

"Be sure you come back soon!" the all said at once, leaving Ragna to roll his eyes and Hibiki to to let out sigh at his master's favorite pastime.

"See you at the gate in a bit then," Ragna told the aid as the three of them exited the establishment (whatever the place was supposed to be). Once outside he noticed that several of the townspeople were staring at the him, looking intently at him as if they'd expected him to have tried to murder Kagura. Their glares seemed to lessen as Hibiki and Kagura himself exited the building Hibiki leaving for the stables while it seemed like the _Black Gale_ was going to stick with Ragna.

 _Nobel In Blood; Heroic In Spirit_

"Any reason you're following me?" he asked bluntly, trying not to annoyed that everyone gave a welcoming greeting as they passed by Kagura while only continuing to glare as they saw him.

"To make sure no one tries to put a knife in your back for one thing," the governor's son told him. "These people still seem pretty pissed that you managed to beat me… I say let bygones be bygones, it was good fight and we both used everything we had to offer at the time."

"Kind of wish they all saw it the way you did," Ragna muttered. "Any idea how you got to be so damned popular in the first place? I'd have thought that they'd be pretty spiteful of you because of your status."

"Yeah, normally they would be, even today they still don't care for the rest of my family," Kagura admitted. "In fact they didn't use to treat me like anything other than some bratty son of the local man in power, but that changed when I was eight and the town got attacked by bandits. Now I won't say that I was the best in town with a sword at the time, but at the very least I had some skill to back me up. My old man had wanted me to stay in the mansion with him and the rest of my family where it was safe while the town guards handled the mess, but I snuck out to try and play hero."

"I guess that's one of those moments as a kid that's supposed to define you," Ragna muttered. "Either you stay where it's safe and be a smart coward, or you go head first into danger and you're the brave idiot."

"You think so?" Kagura asked, surprised by Ragna's insight.

"If it makes you feel any better I'd have probably done the same thing," he told him. "So what happened? Unless I'm talking to a ghost right now-" ' _Don't even think about it.'_ "It's obvious that you survived."

"Well, most of the bandits were wiped out by the time I arrived thanks to our town guard. I was wandering around trying to find trouble when I came across a member of the guard who was in pretty bad shape. Now the man was the oldest member of the town guard, their oldest member and one of the best sword fighters I've ever seen. He'd already taken out four bandit's when I'd found him, but he was gravely wounded and was barely breathing against the fifth and final one."

"So you managed to take a bandit down when you were still eight?" Ragna guessed, sounding somewhat impressed. "How'd you managed to do something like that?"

"Well the guy wasn't the most adept at fighting. Hell, most of the time he just waved his axe around and tried to look frightening. I didn't kill the bandit, but my first kill on the battlefield didn't come that much later. The old man I'd saved was well liked by everyone in town and he recognized me for what I'd done. Soon afterward whenever my family had business outside the estate I'd always insist on walking outside of the carriage as I tried to become a man of the people… I guess it worked."

"I don't think too many nobles would have even considered that an option," Ragna admitted. "So what made you want to try and do it yourself?"

"...Would you believe me if I told you that I wanted to be more popular with girls?" Kagura admitted with a rather wry smile.

"Yeah, I'll buy that," the ex-Reaper admitted with a groan as his acquaintance chuckled beside him. "In fact I'd be surprised if it was for anything else."

 _1st Rank Partnership Established with Kagura_

 _(Author's Note: Here's the first change I'll note at on this chapter. So like a few of my other works, I'll have Partnership Rankings (sort of like Support Ranks for Fire Emblem) that can be applied to members of the cast. Now a Partnership increases can happen at virtually any point the two characters are able to meet. The frequency of these meetings can also be influenced by voting a certain way at the the polls. Hint. Hint._ )

"This is where I left 'em," Ragna told Kagura as the two approached the inn he had left just a short while earlier. "You might want to wait out here, I doubt Emily's going be happy to see your mug."

"I'll be fine," the black haired man assured with his regular smile that just oozed confidence. "Some ladies just start out with a bitter, cold, and hard shell around them, but my fiery charms can melt it away with a little time."

"...It's your funeral," the ex-Reaper sighed as he opened the doors to the inn and entered the building once more. Like expected, he found himself on the receiving end of glares by most of the inn's patrons, but once they noticed that he was traveling with the town hero, their scowls seemed to diminish somewhat. Noticing his group was in the middle of their breakfast at the other end of the table, he headed over through the crowd.

"Mind telling me what you're doing with him?" Emily demanded, wearing a scowl of heated loathing directed at the _Black Gale_.

' _Damn, what the hell did Kagura say to her?_ ' Ragna thought to himself with slight worry.

"Well I was in need of a favor, and Ragna here was just the guy who wanted to help me out with this," Kagura said, making sure he was loud enough for everyone in the restaurant to hear. Any other conversation in the restaurant was immediately silenced and it looked like even the serving girl from before had halted her work to see what was about to happen.

' _He's always gotta be the center of attention; wonder why he's bringing me into it?_ ' Ragna thought to himself before noting that all of his group were waiting for his thoughts. Not sure what to say, he simple gave a small nonchalant shrug.

"Seriously? What kind of favor?" Eric asked glancing from his old friend to the guy who apparently had the best reputation in town.

"The neighboring farming town has come under attack by goblin raiders; a large swarm of them," Kagura explained earning a few nervous glances from the patrons. "A man of their village came in just this morning to tell us about the situation and I'm resolved to head out there myself with Hibiki and end this at the first chance I get."

Kagura then smirked and glanced over to Ragna, leading a shiver to go down the Reaper's spine. ' _What's he thinking now?_ '

"And this guy… As soon as he heard about the situation he wanted to do everything he could to help the poor villagers that got caught in the mix," he went on, causing the people of the inn that were looking at Ragna with disdain earlier to look at him with only surprise in their eyes.

"It's not a big deal…" he told them, feeling uncomfortable under all of the gazes. "You can stop staring at me now…"

"Heh, don't mind him, he's just shyer than he lets on," Kagura told everyone, leading a few people of the bar to laugh. "Not sure how long this is going to take, but everyone should expect us back here by tomorrow with tales of how we saved Liette!"

Several patrons pounded their ale mugs on their table in approval. Ragna rolled his azure eyes before giving his group a look that basic spelled out _he roped me into this_. Emily got the message and tossed him three gold coins for travelling money. With the crowd behind the two shouting encouragement to them both, the _Black Gale_ and the ex-Reaper left the inn.

"All right, what the hell was that?" Ragna demanded with a scowl as soon as the two were outside.

"Just giving the people of Trudalla a bit of an incentive to trust you," Kagura told him with yet another confident smile. "I can't count how many times people were calling you a _Cheat_ on my way through town today… This oughta help you with that a little."

"First, I didn't need you to do that for me, I've been on the receiving end of glares like those before," Ragna told him off as the two began their journey to the town's south gate. "Second, why the heck do you care? Doesn't a bad reputation for me mean a better one for you?"

"And leave you in a town that wants nothing more than to berate you and take advantage of you? I don't think so, I'm not heartless," Kagura told him before chuckling. "Besides, if you do well enough in saving your reputation, it'll make my loss seem all the more reasonable to my old man."

"...He's upset that you lost to me?" Ragna questioned plainly.

"You've got no idea, talked my ear off for hours last night…" Kagura groaned. "Just give it some time, who knows, maybe you'll start to become accepted wherever you travel. Hell, people might start seeing you in a similar light that they see me."

"Whatever, I'm not trying to become a hero or anything," Ragna muttered.

( _Author's Note: Hello again, I'll try to keep this brief. As another element of the story, Ragna has a sort of 'Reputation' status in each town he travels to.' His actions and the jobs he takes can affect who the people of the village will end up treating him and what kind of quests can become available. Again, some poll based decisions can affect this one way or another. The labeling for this is sort of a general term (i.e. CHEAT before Kagura gave him the job). Back to the story.)_

After a few minutes more of walking beside Kagura and being on the receiving end of the occasional staring townsperson, the two made their way to the south gate where Hibiki stood waiting for them. True to his word, the youth was ready for them with three saddled horses. On each of the saddles was a bedroll and a few rags containing rations, potions, and other forms of remedies. What Ragna took especial notice of, however, was the lack of weapons on any of the horses.

"Where the hell's your sword?" he asked Kagura, as the _Black Gale_ mounted his chosen steed with ease. "Don't tell me you're leaving it behind."

"'Course not, fact is I never go anywhere without it," Kagura said. Ragna, understandably, didn't get what he was trying to say. "Heh, just keep your eyes peeled and you'll see what I mean soon enough. It's a pretty useful talent if I do say so myself."

' _So what? He's got that giant blade shoved all the way up his ass?_ ' Ragna thought to himself, but held his tongue from saying it aloud.

"I do hope that you don't take that cocky attitude of yours onto the battlefield Lord Kagura, we're not leaving for holiday," Hibiki said with a sigh as he mounted his own horse. "My lord and I will take the front of our travelling group. Even if you're inexperience as a rider, your horse is trained well enough to know to follow us. Apologies in advance if we send any debris into your face, it may be a… messy experience for you."

' _All the incentive to learn how to ride I guess_ ,' Ragna thought to himself as he looked to the horse in front of him. Copying the two before him the best to his ability, the former Reaper mounted his steed.

"Try to keep up! Yah!" Kagura called as his horse started galloping off. Hibiki remained silent as his horse followed suit. Ragna merely looked down to his own.

"...Just follow them… please?" The horse gave a rather disgruntled grunt, but complied nonetheless as it headed off to follow the other two.

 _ **Later -Outskirts of Liette-**_

"Looks like we're just about there," Kagura said as he slowed his horse to a slow trot. Beside and behind, Hibiki and Ragna's mounts did likewise. Truth to be told, the ride had been rather short and Ragna had already to get a grasp of the basics of riding. "Damn it, I can smell the smoke from here," Kagura continued with a scowl. "Hibiki, wait here with the horses. Ragna and I will scout ahead to be sure it's safe. If we had warhorses I'd take them with us, but these ones are bred for running."

"Yeah, it shows," Ragna said as he dismounted his horse and wiped his face from the dirt. "Let's get going; I don't like sitting on my hands, especially in a place like this."

"Ragna," Hibiki began, causing the silver haired youth to turn his head around to the young aid. "...Unlikely as it is, should anything happen to Lord Kagura you'll have me to answer to… Do I make myself clear?"

"Clear as day," Ragna answered, not intimidated by the toneless voice. Not saying another word he and Kagura headed into the village The town was plenty large, containing far more houses and huts than had been in Ragna's hometown. Many of them however were little more than smouldering husks housing a few charred skeletons and more still were on fire. Bodies of town guards and villagers alike littered the ground, some with deep gashes, others with arrows puncturing their organs, many with horrific bites taken out of them. For all of victims, Ragna counted only two goblins bodies in the mix. "This is certainly a warm welcome… then again I can't say I was expecting much."

"Someone still might be alive, there have to be some survivors," Kagura said, though Ragna could tell he was almost trying to reassure himself. "Most likely they're hiding inside a church or one of the unburnt homes."

"Or the fields," Ragna advised. "It might seem out in the open, but the elder from my hometown taught us that farming fields can have some pretty decent hiding places if bandits attack. Plus, I can see a few of the farming sheds where they keep the tools from here. They don't look like they're on fire, so there might be some survivors in them if we're lucky."

"Good thinking, but that means we'll have more ground to cover," Kagura told him seriously. "We'll need to split up; you seem to know your stuff about the fields so you check there while I keep looking around the village."

"Don't let your guard down for a second, I don't like the look of this." Ragna warned him before hurrying out to the fieldlands. ' _Goblins doing this kind of damage? This must've been one hell of raid group if they managed to kill off members of the town and carry villagers away… Wait… how the hell could three foot goblins carry anyone away?'_

Checking the farming fields first, all Ragna found were ruined crops late into the harvest and bloodied farmers looking like the corpses from earlier. Sighing at the sight, he headed off towards the shed and tried to stay hopeful.

' _This place… if I hadn't found those monsters by chance the night before I left, my village could have been attacked just like this place was. Eric, Emily, Aaron, all the kids from the orphanage and anyone else in the village could have been killed._ ' He was at the door into the large shed now. ' _Is this what this whole mess is about? Am I just supposed to 'save' this world from another_ _Nemesis Horizon?_ _...I hope not; that'd be a real pain in the ass._ '

"Hey! Is anyone inside?" he demanded while pounding on the wooden door before him. "…Hello?" He heard a could of muffled gasps, trying their damndest to stay quiet. "Look, I'm here with Kagura Mutsuki; an old man from here told us that this place was in trouble."

"Y-You're here with the _Black Gale_?" a voice from inside asked with a tremble. "H-How do we know you aren't lying?"

"I'm pretty sure I don't sound like a goblin," Ragna said aloud before remembering what little time they might have. "I heard that the goblins that carried off the townspeople, where'd they go?"

"Wh-which way did they-" a nervous man began from inside. "Th-they m-might ha-"

Ragna's fist slammed on the door, resulting in a large crash as deep crack marks appeared all over the wood. There were a few shrill screams from inside.

"I think they went to the south! There's a small forest that they could be using as a camp!" one villager explained in a panic.

"All I needed to know," Ragna muttered. "If Kagura comes here or if you decide to head back into town, let him know where I'm headed will you?"

"Wait, you don't understand! There are-!" the words afterwards fell on deaf ears as Ragna took off running.

' _If I waste time and try to find Kagura, someone that the goblins took with them could get slaughtered and eaten. If I head out now there might be more people still alive, even if that means I'll have to fight the entire hoard of goblins myself... If that's what it comes down to, so what?_ '

 _ **Meanwhile -Back in the Village-**_

"Still nothing," Kagura muttered to himself as he continued walking through the ruined town. _'I've never heard of a goblin attack on a scale like this before. This place is pretty big and they look like they had more members of the town guard than most farming villages. So how the hell was a group of goblins able to group together like this in the first place?'_

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard a movement coming from one of the bodies. Eyes widening, he ran over to a young maiden who was facing the ground and gently turned her over… only to see the deep cut in heart and her glazed over eyes wide open in her fear filled final moments. The _Black Gale_ shook his head sadly as he gently closed the woman's eyes. While he was kneeling, he heard the shuffling of feet behind him. Turning his head, he saw a large squad of goblins behind him. All of them were wearing ruined leathers and had rusty short swords and knives in their hands.

"I was hoping that I could've found a few of the survivors first, but I'll have to settle for killing the lot of you for now," Kagura thought aloud without emotion as held his left hand out like he was holding a sword.

A collection of black flames formed in his palm and extended outwards, taking the shape of a massive blade. The flames quickly faded away and left Kagura hold an oversized sword made out of a dark metal. While the design was much similar than the original back in Ragna's world there were a few obvious changes; this blade wasn't nearly as thick and there was still a much sharper point at the end of it, but it was still an intimidating weapon. Seeing the _Black Gale_ summon the sword and treating it like magic, the goblin's charged towards Kagura with snarling mouth and drawn weapons.

Kagura himself flew forward towards the horde with his sword extending out and impaled one of the goblins through, killing it immediately. While the rest of the goblins came at him from the front, he unleashed a _**Dragon's Ascent**_ which brought him into the air while ripping several goblins to shreds. A few of the monsters leapt at him while he was in the air, but he cleaved them in half with a vicious midair slash before landing.

Channeling magic into his free arm, he called forth a sphere of black flames and sent it a the goblins from a distance, managing to blast one of them into pieces. He then spun his entire body and cleaved his massive blade through the entire front rank of the goblins. Kagura followed up by rushing towards the goblins and disappearing in black flames. The monsters were caught off guard, making it all the easier for Kagura to appear behind them and cleave his sword through the remaining goblins.

' _So there are still goblins in town,_ ' he thought as he allowed his blade to disperse dark into black fire. ' _But they're coming out in broad daylight? Goblins are supposed to only hunt at night, so what's causing them to attack a city like this? Whatever's going on, I should probably check to see if there are any other groups around the houses. Might find some survivors while I'm at it._ '

"Lord Kagura," came Hibiki's calm voice from right behind him. Any other normal person might've jumped in surprise or at the very least flinched, but the _Black Gale_ had gotten used to his aid's _sneak ups_ after some time. "How goes the investigation?"

"I thought I told you to stay with the horses," Kagura muttered as he kept his back to the young aid.

"You did, but I decided my talents would be better used on the search," he responded calmly before sighing. "What on earth prompted you to keep me back there in the first place?"

"I figured Ragna and I could handle this and I didn't want to lose our way back home," Kagura told him. "Where'd you put the horses anyways?"

"On the east side of town," Hibiki told him. "I found a decent place to keep them and already cleared out the few goblins that were in the immediate area. I'm afraid I have yet to find any survivors, even in a village as large as this one."

"Yeah, this place could've been on it's way to becoming a full on town with the size of it," Kagura told him as he began walking off with Hibiki following close behind. "Now we'll be lucky if we can salvage it into another small farming village in a year."

"We'll have to save the long periods of mourning for once the threat has passed," the aid said cooly. "First and foremost where is Ragna?"

"I sent him to check the fields, he told me there were some pretty decent hiding places that way," Kagura told him. "He should be back soon."

"Let's hope, we need to hurry if there's even a remote possibility of any townspeople… Wait," Hibiki said before he drew twin short swords out of his cloak. Walking down the street into town was another group of goblins coated in blood. Leading them in the front, however was a much taller and muscle goblin with pale white skin. The being almost stood at five feet tall and it carried a shield made of wood oak and a curved scimitar with a blood dripping from its edge.

"A pale goblin? First time I've ever seen one in person; up 'till now I've only heard the stories..." Kagura began as he summoned his large blade to his hand once more. "That explains how they managed to group together so many."

Unlike their smaller and weaker kin, pale goblins are known as brutes among goblins. When goblins breed, there's a very small chance that one of the offspring produced could be a more powerful variant of its kind. Such is the case with pale goblins as their larger and harder bodies make them stronger and tougher to kill, while they also retain much of a regular goblin's speed. Most goblins are nocturnal, but pale goblins hardly ever rest and can force normal goblins to attack in broad daylight. While they may have developed intelligence (at least more than their kin) it is mainly used for creating a tribe and killing as many humans as possible.

"I say we finish them quickly," Hibiki said calmly. "We already had enough on our plate before they came along and there's still much of the village left unchecked."

"Agreed,' Kagura said before charging up another orb of black fire and sending it at the pale goblin. Unsurprisingly, this monster was smart enough to know to block the orb with its wooden shield. The _Black Gale_ had planned on this and charged the guarding monster, forced it back with the weight of his blade.

' _That leaves me with them_ ,' Hibiki thought as he turned his attention back to the more common strain of goblins. A few of them were making their way toward Kagura's battle with their pale skinned leader. While keeping his grip on his short swords, Hibiki quickly reached inside his cloak tossed several throwing knives at the goblins, impaling them with fatal accuracy. Seeing their allies die from the projectiles sent by the much smaller man, the goblins then began to charge Hibiki.

Though not nearly as strong as his master, Hibiki's swiftness was an invaluable asset. With a quick flash of light and a powerful breeze of wind, three goblins were cut to pieces before they'd even realized what had happened. Hibiki then charged towards the pack of goblins with his sword pointed forward. The creatures were already ill prepared for the move, but as Hibiki vanished into shadows only to appear behind them they were completely defenseless as he cleaved through several more of them. Hibiki then leaped into the air and sent a barrage of throwing knives down that the pack, thinning their numbers even further.

As Hibiki landed on the ground his back was again to the goblins. Still feral but wising up to his tactics, a group of the goblins fired a barrage of crossbow bolts at him only to watch as the volley pierced a shadowy afterimage. The goblins let out a collected surprised gasp at the sight, not realizing Hibiki had appeared high above them. Diving down, Hibiki landed in the center of the group and ripped through one of the goblins mercilessly. The remaining goblins were frozen as their opponent spun the swords in his hands rapidly before catching them with a sense of a mortal finale.

"...Perish in silence."

Time seemed to slow as the goblins realized the threat in the center of them. Their attempts to turn and kill him were in vain as Hibiki continued to stand their motionlessly. All of the goblins swung their weapons towards him as a desperation attempt… but as they were half finished with their swings, all heads fell gracelessly from their bodies.

Hibiki gave a small sigh as sheathed his blades before a large crashing sound was heard from behind. Not surprised in the slightest, he turned his head to see Kagura cleaving through the pale goblin with rage that Hibiki had only seen from his master seldom times before. The two halves of the creature hit the ground with a spray of blood and a dull thud, but Kagura only let out a low growl at the creature in front of him.

"He got you, didn't he?" Hibiki said mildly as if he was announcing the weather. His master only continued to growl. "If you're in that bad of a mood it would have to be on the face, wouldn't it?"

"This damn well better not leave a scar," Kagura said with frustration as he wiped away the small trail of blood on his left cheek. "That thing was tough… tough enough to hold back of a couple of _my_ attacks."

"Not completely unexpected given the rumors," Hibiki admitted. "Though you do prove a point, if this thing can take a few moment of our time, what chance to regular town guardsmen have?"

"Yeah, you'd have to hire a seasoned mercenary or bounty hunter to even think of taking these things on, and even that might not guarantee the endgame." Kagura then looked around the town. "...What the hell do you suppose is taking Ragna so long? I know this town has large fields, but he should've checked back with me by now."

"He might have run into trouble, but he'll have to handle himself," Hibiki said to Kagura. "Honestly though, without his cheap tricks I'm starting to have doubts about him making it through this battle… is what most people would say."

"You noticed it too then," the _Black Gale_ muttered as the two continued to head out and search the town. "Back when we fought he saw through some of my more complicated moves, like he'd seen them before somehow. If I hadn't broken out my _Sacred Dragon_ techniques when I had, he might've been able to find an opening to end me."

"He still managed to find that opening if you'll remember," the bowl cutted boy reminded humorlessly. Kagura chose to keep his mouth shut at that. "Still, to pinpoint a potential weakness of yours with so little to go off of is strange, especially given his lack of education."

"You've looked into his past? Isn't that going a little far this early on?"

"It was nothing drastic I assure you; I simply overheard a few members of the convoy he came in with… are you saying you don't want me to reveal my findings due to slight invasion of privacy?"

"...Let's hear it," Kagura relented.

"He's from a small unnamed village not far south from the infamous _Fortune's Step Inn_. Despite growing up in an orphanage his entire life it seems like he was a central member of his hometown; he would always look after both his fellow orphans and the rest of the children in the town, he was the smartest in the village and taught himself to read at a at the age of five, and he even worked in the fields when they needed extra help despite his young age."

"That's… quite a list of accomplishments for someone as young as we are," Kagura told him.

"Indeed… but there was something I found somewhat unsettling; despite his status he'd often spend as much time alone as he could. There were even some times when he'd go deep into the forest where the rest of his village was sure not to follow… what he did there, I'm afraid we don't know."

"...You couldn't have just overheard this," Kagura accused with a glare. "Where'd you really get this info?"

"... I paid one of the merchants travelling with his small group," Hibiki told him. "They asked me to remain anonymous, but if you want-"

"No, leave it be," Kagura instructed. "And whatever you do, this stays between us."

"Agreed… but are you still considering him for the second part? It's risky at best."

"You'd say that even if I teamed up with one of the gods themselves. The second stage of the _Holy Horizon_ is a test for a duo. It's well known for eliminating most of the contestants, even those from the church… if I'm going to pass that I need to have someone I can count on."

"And you think you can count on someone like Ragna?" Hibiki asked. "Look me in the eyes and say that." No response. "I see… he's simply the best current option out of the lot."

"...Tell you what, the next stage isn't for quite some time," Kagura reminded before giving Hibiki a challenging smirk. "If you can find one person, any person, who I can see will be a better fit for me, I'll take them over Ragna with no questions asked."

"Very well, I'll accept your terms," Hibiki agreed as the two continued their search for survivors. ' _Now… How am I going to find the measurements for the female contestants?_ '

 _ **Later -Night Oak Woods-**_

The former Grim Reaper said nothing as he ran towards the treeline south of town. He had been running ever since he'd heard where the townspeople had been taken to. He knew it was pretty damned unlikely that they wouldn't have already killed the townspeople they'd captured, but he'd be damned if he didn't do everything he could to save anyone barely hanging onto life, no matter how few people that could be.

As he'd just made it to the treeline on the edge of the forest when he felt himself being blasted back out of nowhere. He gave a shout of surprise as he flew through the air for a moment before his back slammed to the ground. Giving a low groan, he saw that the edge of the woods was covered in a strange shine, making it almost look like there was a glass wall separating him from the forest.

"A barrier?" Ragna said aloud with annoyance as a glared at the collection of magic before him. "Dammit, this is going to cause problems… wait, how the hell could goblins have put up magic like this? Aren't they supposed to hate anything that even looks like magic?"

"You considered for even a moment that goblins could begin to comprehend the idea of casting a spell? Not a very seasoned traveller, are you?"

In the literal definition of an instant, a hooded figure was suddenly in front of Ragna, barely a foot away. He gave a startled grunt before forcing himself to his feet and kept himself ready in case should this person was going to start trouble.

"Now, now, I'm not looking to fight with you. You can stop glaring daggers at me." Judging by the tone and what he could see of the form through the cloak, the person under the hood was a woman. The cloak itself was a deep black and had thin leather gloves covering each of her hands. From under the hood a long lock of azure blue hair protruded through and made its way down to her chest.

"You… you're that stalker who was tailing me two nights ago, aren't you?" Ragna accused.

"Stalker?" the woman repeated whimsically as she tapped her chin and appeared to be deep in thought. "I wouldn't call myself a stalker, but I certainly _speculated_ that little match between you and the boar… without your knowledge."

"Yeah, and that's called stalking," Ragna told her with a heated glare. The woman merely gave him a dignified chuckle. "I've got no time to waste here with you, so get out of my way."

"Why, so you can try to retain some adorable hope that there's still someone let alive inside of that hellhole? How naive can one person be?" Wasting no time, Ragna allowed his arm to give of his flames of _Azure_ as he tried to stare the enigma down. "OH! You send chills down my spine when you look at me that way! What a naughty boy…"

"SHUT UP!" he shouted before firing off a _**Sapphire Spike**_ from the ground. The woman appeared to be startled slightly and warped a few feet to her left just to dodge the attack.

"Simmer down a tad, I may admire that little aggressive streak of yours, but I do have my-" The noise resembling that of shattering glass sounded from behind her. Slowly turning her head, she saw that the barrier had now a had a massive hole in it. Ethereal cracks continued to spread along the tree line before the entire barrier shattered into magic shards.

Ragna didn't say anything before running past the woman and heading deep into the thicket. She was intrigued by his actions, but did nothing to pursue. A smirk tugged at her lip as the young _Azure_ wielder disappeared from view. She did not pursue him, merely raising three of her fingers.

"And… three, two, one…" The moment her countdown had finished, Ragna came sprinting out of the woodlands. The moment he saw her, his body tensed with anxiety as he got into a battle stance, but he then noticed his familiar surroundings. "Welcome back."

"What the hell are you trying to pull!?" he shouted, keeping his arm alit with flames.

"I'm TRYING to keep you from ignoring my warning and getting yourself terribly lost," she told him with a sigh. "Yes, you know that the goblins are in the woods, but have you any idea where in these woods they could be?" Ragna didn't answer, he just kept glaring. "Let me make a deal with you; I'll speed you on your way with the exact location of their den… and all you need to do for me is a small favor."

"I ain't got time for that bullshit!" Ragna shouted with anger.

"Then I'll just have to collect after you manage to save those townsfolk… if there's even anyone left to be saved," the woman told him with a smirk. "Then again… you really don't have an desire to bet with those odds do you?"

"...One favor? That's it?" he questioned hesitantly.

"That's all… and to make things all the better for you, I swear not to have you do anything against whatever moral code you claim to have…" She then held her arms out wide, almost like she was offering him a hug (Ragna wouldn't have accepted). "Do we have deal?"

"...You better mean it," Ragna told her with a harsh glare. "I'll kill you if I find out that you're just screwing with me."

"Make whatever promise that you want, I'm a woman of my word," she said to him. In another literal instant length, the scene around the two changed once more as Ragna found himself in front of a massive stone cave with excluded a wretched stench that was almost suffocating. "I'm looking forward to your performance… Don't disappoint me." The woman's form seemed to fade away like smoke, leaving no indication that she'd been there at all.

"What the…?" Ragna started to say as he stared at his surroundings. "Teleportation?"

" **NO!"** Ragna heard a woman shout from within the cave. Snapping out of his thoughts, he sprinted into the cave, drawing his sword out as he did so. **"GODS ABOVE! PROTECT MEEEEEE-!"** Her blood curdling scream was heard from further in the large cave, accompanied by sickening crunches, bloody splashes, and the tearing of sinew.

 **(Cue** _Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep_ __ **Dismiss** Extended **)**

Throughout his first hearing of the attack, his horse ride to the town, and seeing the bodies of the deceased as he walked through the village Ragna had thought he'd be prepared for what he was about to see… he was wrong. Mountains of shredded corpses were piled over the entire cave within pools of blood the went to Ragna's ankles. Several groups of goblins were tearing at fresh corpses, clawing away at the meat on the bones and biting into the bodies chaotically. Ragna didn't see another human standing in the chaos.

Eyes wide at the scene of death and carnage before him, Ragna rushed forward and swung his sword, cleaving several goblins into pieces as he made himself known. Within moments he was surrounded by dozens of their kin. The cave had originally been barely lit, but the azure flames Ragna was giving off over his entire body in his rage was giving him all the light he need.

"Come and get me you hellspawned freaks!" When the goblins didn't approach, Ragna took the initiative. **"** _ **Sapphire Spike!"**_ The mass of energy fired sent a fraction of the goblin forces flying. The former Reaper lunged his blade forward and impaled it through two more goblins. Violently ripping the blade out, he swung his entire body and cleaved through several more goblins.

A few of the goblins came at him from the side and brought their blades down to cleave at his flesh, but he braced his weapon and blocked the attacks without difficulty. Channeling _Azure_ into his blade, Ragna brought the sword upward and cut through the goblins before slamming it down on yet another unsuspecting group.

" _ **Blue-!"**_ Ragna shouted as he charged through the goblins, his flaming fist powerful enough to rip through their flesh. _**"Fang!"**_ A wave of _Azure_ shortly followed slamming into yet collection of goblins and blasting them to pieces. Many of the remaining monsters were taking steps back in fear, but Ragna wasn't going to allow them a retreat. He wouldn't rest until every last goblin in the cave was in as many pieces as the townsfolk they had mutilated.

"Human…" came a feral and inhuman growl from further inside the cave. Scowling, Ragna watched as the remaining group of globlins ran further inside the cave. Keeping his sword drawn he made his way into the caves next chamber. That chamber was much like the first one with pools of blood and countless corpse piles scattered around. The goblins from the last chamber were grouping around another group of their kind, standing just behind two pale goblins. The monsters were armed; one carrying a two-handed battleaxe and another carrying a spear with a jagged point.

"Human…" one of the pale goblins growled again before letting out a massive roar. "KILL HUMAN!"

"I've had enough of this shit!" Ragna shouted as the _Azure_ shrouding him grew in intensity. His brow was already covered in sweat from all of the energy he'd used, but he fought through it as best he could. _**"Sapphire Spike!"**_ again he fried a giant mass of pure energy at the goblins. Before it could strike his opponents though, the pale goblin wielding an axe swung his weapon with enough ferocity that it actually managed to destroy the attack. The spear wielder leapt into the air and sailed towards him, leaving Ragna to bearly block the attack with his sword.

"TEAR HUMAN TO PIECES!" the spear wielder shouted out as it made a harsh horizontal swipe with his spear. Ragna leapt back to avoid the spear as it nearly cut across his throat. The swing itself was powerful enough to send a pile of bones flying. The pale goblin then thrust it's weapon forward rapidly, trying to impale Ragna on the blade point as the ex-Reaper was forced to block the onslaught of attacks. Taking a large risk, he swung his blade upwards and managed to deflect and attack and send the monster stumbling back.

" _ **Gauntlet-!"**_ Ranga began as he somersaulted in midair to send a powerful kick as his leg blazed with _Azure_. The attack was about to descend on the vulnerable pale goblin, but Ragna managed to catch a glimpse of the axe wielder leaping towards him to cleave him with the battleaxe. Changing the direction of his attack, his kick instead clashed against that battleaxe's blade. The pale goblin landed behind him while Ragna was still in midair and swung his axe again as Ragna turned with his follow up. _**"Cobalt!"**_ Again is kick and the axe head collided, this time sending Ragna flying back.

He grunted as he managed to land on his feet and went skidding back, sliding through both bits of bone and pools of blood. When he finally managed to come to a stop he felt a shift in the air as the lesser goblins from behind him leapt to stab him in the back. Opening his left palm, he channeled _Azure_ and unleashed a massive blast that tore them to pieces. When the attack was over the last of the lesser goblins were in pieces, but Ragna's aura was starting to fade. Breathing heavily, he turned his attention to the two pale goblins rushing towards him.

Swinging its axe, one of the pale goblins hit one of the piles of mutilated corpses and sent chunks of gory bones at Ragna. He was forced to be pummeled by the disgusting leftovers and the spear wielding pale goblin tried to stab at him through the distraction. Blocking the spearpoint with his sword, Ragna reposted with his own blade only to have the spear user avoid the attack by stepping back as its partner leapt into the air and brought its axe down, narrowly missing Ragna. Spinning his body as the pale goblin swung its axe in an upward slash, the front of his chain shirt shattered as his broadsword decapitated the pale goblin's head.

The remaining pale goblin gave a powerful roar as it swung it's lance once more, sending an out of breath Ragna stumbling back as he tried to keep his _Azure_ alit. He saw the pale goblin tense its body as he readied itself for a final lunge. Ragna tried desperately to raise a shield of azure in front of him,, but the attack broke through and impaled him in the chest. He gave a pained grunt as he nearly fell over, but managed to remain standing through grit teeth. Ragna then roared as he managed to bring his blade up stabbed it through the monster, sprouting the end of the blade out of its back. The pale goblin lurched and coughed up a bit of its blood, before its glared at the silver haired youth in pure hatred.

" **BURN IN HELL!"** Ragna roared as he aura gave one final blaze. Using the last of his strength he tore his blade upward while it was still impaled in the pale goblin, cleaving the top half of its body in two. Goblin blood sprayed out in a torrent he did so, merely adding to the pool on the ground. Without another word, the monster finally fell into blood puddle with a sickening splash.

 **(Change theme to** _Final Fantasy X_ **Zanarkand** Extended **)**

"S...son of a… bitch…" Ragna groaned, impaling his sword into the ground to support himself as he fell to one knee and created a small splash in the blood covered cave floor. He breathed heavily, trying to get over the intense pain pulsing through his body. The wound he'd gotten on his chest had almost been deep enough to cut through to his ribs. His healing factor was doing everything it could to make sure the cut didn't turn fatal, but a complete recovery would take time. Forcing himself through the pain, he slowly rose from the ground. Letting out one last deep breath, he yanked his sword out of ground and gave it a swing to rid itself of blood. Placing the blade inside its leather straps he glanced around the cave once more.

' _I was too late… There was someone alive here just a moment ago, but now even she's dead… And I can't sense anyone else..._ ' he thought darkly as he looked at the countless corpses in the cave. ' _Was there anything else I could have done? Anyone I could have saved? ...Damn it all to hell..._ '

A brief shuffling beneath the fleshless skeletons. In an instant Ragna's blade was unsheathed once more, held at the ready as he looked at the large pile that had created the sound. He slowly shoved one of the corpses off, before shoving off another, and another, and more still until-

"My god…"

In the middle of a pile lay a helpless young boy scared out of his mind. While he didn't look like he was losing any limbs or any of his, he was completely covered in blood and had chunks of human flesh covering him. His hair was completely drenched in blood and he shivered uncontrollably as he kept his eyes shut tight. Slowly putting his sword back on his sheath, Ragna tried to put a reassuring hand on the child and ignore to the gruesome feeling.

"Hey," he said, trying to keep his voice calm and even. The child looked up at him with golden eyes before snapping them shut and curling tighter in fear. "...I won't hurt you… promise."

"Blood…" the kid moaned leaving Ragna to examine himself. Sure enough, he'd been coated in the blood that had splattered over him as he'd killed the goblins.

"You're right that I got some blood on me, but this is from those damned monsters. You're safe now."

"I'm… I'm so cold," the child sobbed through tear filled eyes.

Ragna sighed as he took of his leather jacket and placed it over the child before slowly picking him off of the pile of corpses and put him on his back to carry to him out of that hell hole. "Just hold tight, alright? I'm going to get you out of here."

"Where's mom? And dad? And...?" he asked with fear as he clung tightly to Ragna.

"Sorry... I think they're gone," he told him softly as he looked back one final time before exiting the cave of nightmares. Looking around the outside of the cave, he saw the sun was just starting to break though the thick forest vegetation. He tried to figure out which way to go before remembering that the mysterious woman had simply teleported him here. Without any indication of how to leave the forest. "It's gonna take us some time to get out of here… Any idea what way should take?" The child didn't say anything in response, so Ragna merely picked a direction and started heading that way. "Let's get you somewhere safe."

"Okay," the child told him as he kept his head down. "Why are you here?"

"I came with two others to rid the town of goblins and save as many of the villagers as we could," he explained. "By now the rest of the goblins in town should be dealt with."

"...Who are you?" the child asked, his voice sounding dead to the world.

"Call me Ragna; it's a weird name, but I've always sort of liked it," the ex-Reaper told him. "And you? What do they call you?"

"…N…Na..."

"Speak up kid, I can't hear what you're trying to say," Ragna told him.

"Na...Naoto…" the child finally said stopping Ragna cold. Recognizing that name as it had belonged to something of an odd enigma back in his old world, he glanced over his shoulder at the kid and could swear he could see hints of a resemblance through all of the blood.

"...Cool name," Ragna told him, before giving something of a sad smile and continuing onward.

 _ **Later -The Path to Night Oak Woods-**_

"That idiot… what the hell was he thinking?" Kagura muttered aloud for the upteenth time as he ran as fast as he could to forest. He and Hibiki had eventually made their way to the fields after not hearing from Ragna throughout their entire search of the town. Upon understanding the situation, Kagura had run off to the forest as fast as he could and left Hibiki behind to guard the town, something his young aide didn't necessarily approve of. Seeing the edge of the woods before him, the _Black Gale_ came to a stop.

' _Damn, I can't see any paths Ragna or the goblins might've left as they came through here… Now how am I going to find them_?' Noticing a small rustling coming from the woods, Kagura summoned his sword and tensed his body to attack… just before Ragna slowly emerged from the woods.

"There you are you idi-" Kagura's words died in his mouth as he saw the condition Ragna was in. The blood and bits of gory leftovers covering him had only been hastily wiped away, the front of his chain shirt was destroyed leaving his chest vulnerable, and the chest itself had a deep stab wound in it that Ragna seemed to be powering through. Kagura then noticed the youth he was carrying on his back and tried to find the words to speak. "You… you found a survivor then?"

"No… I found _the_ survivor," Ragna said mournfully. "I got there as fast as I could and found the goblin's cave pretty damn quick… but he's all that was left."

"Dammit," Kagura groaned as he tried to get a better look at the child, who merely shied away under the stranger's gaze. "He doesn't look like anyone back in the village…"

' _Meaning the kid most likely just lost his entire family_.' "How'd the search in town go?" Ragna asked as he continued to trek back to town, continuing to carry Naoto.

"That shed that you found out in the fields was it," Kagura told him. "Adding them, the old man from this morning, and the kid you'd got with you now we have seven survivors… out of close to two hundred people."

"...At least we saved _someone_ ," Ragna said, his voice empty of its usual snarkiness.

"How many goblins were there anyways?" the _Black Gale_ questioned. "You look like you've been through hell and back twice over."

"I've been though-" Ragna was about to say worse (which was true), but he didn't know how he was supposed to tell this Kagura of those fights. "...I mean I _went_ through more than a few goblins and these two weird things that looked like goblins except they were bigger and tougher."

"Pale goblins then," Kagura noted as he looked at Ragna's chest. "And… they're the reason you got that?" In response to Ragna's nod, the raven haired warrior muttered an incantation under his breath and his hand gave a soft green glow. Pointing at Ragna, the wound on his chest slowly began to close, leaving only a mark that should've faded with time."

' _At least I can get healed_ ,' Ragna thought to himself. "So where's Hibiki?"

"He's back watching the town and trying to see if there are any supplies left over and if there's a cart we can use. We've all had a busy day, but if we hurry we can make it back to Trudalla by sundown and get these people some proper care."

"And then what?" Ragna demanded. "What's happens to them after they get to your town?"

"I'll try to get them some support, promise," Kagura vowed. "Past a place to stay and maybe some gold to get 'em started though... I don't have a clue. I mean we'd have to find somewhere everyone can stay and… well I'm not sure how giving any of the visiting priests are going to be."

' _Meaning there's no clue what could happen to this kid._ ' "Hey, if the people back in town aren't able to take care of Naoto, you think I should bring him with me?" Naoto raised his head as he was addressed and Kagura gave a questioning look at the suggestion. "It's not a big place, but back home there was a church that took care of orphans. It's where I came from and I know the old man that works there well enough that he won't turn the kid down."

"...I guess that could work," Kagura admitted. "But I don't know where you're from-" ' _Lie._ ' "so are you sure you can make it that far with him?"

"I can handle myself, I took on a hoard of goblins by myself didn't I?" he reminded before turning to the kid on his back. "Just think about it, alright? You don't need to come up with a decision just yet."

"Th-thank you…" Naoto said softly as he continued to hang on.

"...You'll be alright," Ragna promised. "I'll make sure of that, kid."

 _ **Later -The Ruins of Liette- (End theme)**_

Ragna was silent as he sat shirtless at a table and tried to scrub the blood stains off of his gear with minimal success. Naoto was in a filled water tub upstairs as he tried to scrub the blood off of his body and Ragna was keeping an ear out to make sure nothing happened to him while he do so. Outside a pyre burned the bodies of the deceased townspeople which included the former owners of this house. The surviving members of the town were searching the ruins for any supplies that could help them to survive, but progress was slow. As Ragna finally became satisfied with the work he'd been able to do on his leather coat, he heard the door open from behind him and saw Hibiki walking in, clearly not pleased with the face he had.

"There a problem?" Ragna demanded with his own scowl.

"You ran off on your own," Hibiki accused. "You left us both in town and ran off to save the villagers yourself."

"I had to hurry, I didn't know how many people were going to be left alive," he told him off as he started to try and scrub his ruined chain shirt.

"What if you'd gotten lost?" the aid accused.

"Then I'd have gotten lost," Ragna muttered as he tried to remove the broken chain links in his armor. "But I didn't."

"You were lucky. And stupid." Hibiki told him with a scowl. Ragna shrugged it off. "... Would you care to know the main difference to between lord Kagura and myself?"

"He's a womanizer and you're a dedicated assistance?" the ex-Reaper guessed.

"That's a good and rather plain difference, but the one I'm referring to is his faith in the impossible. My lord thinks that he can put his faith in someone as reckless as you; I on the other hand know not to take that chance." Ragna didn't say anything as Hibiki turned to walk away. "Also…"

In the blink of an eye Ragna had leapt from his chair, grabbed the wooden piece of furniture, and swung it behind him where it was met by the blade of a shortsword. He continued to scowl as the chair and Hibiki's sword hilt remained locked together as Hibiki struggled to push his blade towards the silver haired man, but Ragna managed to hold him back without difficulty. Behind him, Hibiki's clone faded into a collection of feathers.

"What, you're not against hitting people in their back?" the outsider questioned as his glare turned to a nasty smirk. "Nice to see you care as much about fairness in a fight as I do." Ragna then shoved Hibiki back, surprising him with his forcefulness. "Whatever game you're trying to play, just do us all a favor and leave me out of it."

"...As you wish," Hibiki said before leaping past Ragna. The ex-Reaper said nothing, merely continuing to smirk as Hibiki passed him by. The aid then exited the house and closed the door behind him. _'So… this marks the third time he's managed to predict one of our attacks prior to seeing it This is starting to become a bit worrisome; I should report this to my lord posthaste.'_

Back inside Ragna took a long look a the chair in his hand, observing the lengthy and clean cut that Hibiki had made on his makeshift shield. Setting it down he take an abrupt seat before resuming his work on the bloodstained armor.

"And I thought I was one to beat around the bush," a voice said, causing Ragna to leap from his seat once more. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the hooded woman from the edge of the forest. He was about to shout an enraged retort, but was stopped in his tracks as the woman began to slowly clap. "Well done… just a marvelous show you've put on. I haven't seen a performance like that in ages."

"Damn bitch," Ragna insulted though he knew it wouldn't do him any good. "You here to collect that favor I owe ya?"

"Not at all; I told you that I'd have to collect the favor after the fight, but did I ever say when I truly wanted it?" Even under her hood, Ragna could see that she was smirking and he hated it. "Rest assured, this won't be the last time we'll meet under such circumstances."

"Yeah, cause I just can't get _anything_ can I?" Ragna retorted as he took his seat and resumed his work. "Shove off will ya? If people find you here it's gonna cause problems."

"You think anyone else can see me?" she asked with a nasty smile. "The only reason I let those common people see me at the inn was because I wanted to ensure that no one interfered… But you…" Ragna felt his entire body go rigid as arms gently wrapped around his neck from behind him, a smooth chin gently resting on his head. "You have my intrigue… all of it."

"Get off…" he told her darkly.

"How did it feel?" she asked with a tone of great sensuality in her voice. "Tell me what it felt like, to see all of the mangled and shredded bodies gathered there in one place, what was going through your mind? Did you really care about those people at all?"

"GET. OFF." Ragna's blue aura began to surround his body. The woman didn't move.

"You've only seen them that once, were they really worth wasting any energy over? ...You've put yourself in a bad position little one. You've sworn yourself to assist me and what have you gotten in return? Just the life of some scrawny boy who's not worth the-"

" **GET OFF!"** The aura exploded as the floorboards and walls cracked while the chair beneath Ragna shattered as he violently stood and tried to shove the woman off of him. The table in front of him and his gear was sent flying away. Smoke began to fill the room as Ragna grit his teeth in his rage and turned to face the antagonizer. "What the hell's your problem!?"

"Ah, ah, ah," the woman mocked before she vanished from sight without a trace. "Temper, temper," came her enigmatic echos. Still enraged beyond human description, Ragna let out a deep breath in a vain attempt to calm himself as he grabbed his gear a threw it back on regardless of its stains or conditions.

 _ **Later -Trudalla-**_

"You're sure?" he asked Kagura with slight surprise as their small convoy neared the gates of Trudalla. He and Ragna were walking alongside the wagon for protection while Hibiki guarded it. True to the prediction, the sky was already engulfed in a golden glow as the sun began to set behind to distant horizon.

"Yeah, that's how it is," the _Black Gale_ said with a heavy sigh. "That kid you found, Naoto, he lost his father when the bandits first attacks and then lost his sister and mother when the goblins carried them off to their cave…"

"He had a sister?" Ragna questioned.

"Yeah, Saya I think," Kagura said, leaving Ragna's face to pale. "That name mean anything to you?"

"N-No, i-it's nothing," he tried to deny, almost as if the name was haunting him.

"...Well I know a good doctor in town, so I'll take the townspeople to 'em to make sure we didn't miss any wounds. From what they've told me, none of them were close to the kid so I'm going to leave him in your care… he seems to like you at least."

"Let's hope he likes Aaron then; he's the guy who'll be looking after him," Ragna muttered. "A day on the road might be what he needs; some travel could help take his mind off of everything."

"...Promise you won't hit me," Kagura said, seemingly out of nowhere. Ragna merely scowled at the _Black Gale_. "Before I say anything else, just remember that my hands are tied on this."

"...Let's hear it," Ragna reluctantly agreed, knowing this was about to get worse for him somehow.

"How do I put this… There's going to be a ball at the my manor tomorrow at sunset, it's supposed to be for celebrating the start of the _Holy Horizon_ … you're expected to show as one of the victors of the first round."

"If I say no?" the ex-Reaper questioned mildly.

"Then it's the church that you need to deal with, and from what I can tell you're already getting into a pretty bad relationship with them. Avoiding this could cause drastic problems."

"What the hell do I care? I'm probably not going to head to the second-"

 _ **WHACK!**_

"OW!" Ragna shouted as Kagura clocked him over the head.

"Sorry, my hand slipped," the _Black Gale_ classically excused himself.

"You asshole! What the hell was that for!?"

"Well I though I was about to hear you say that you might not be continuing the tournament, I wanted to make sure there wasn't something in my ear, but I guess I must be a bit more clumsy than I thought." Before Ragna could respond, Kagura grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him to face him. "You damn well better listen to me. If you even _think_ of saying that in the presence of anyone devoted to the church, just imagine all of the hell you could cause for the group you're with and yourself. They'd call you an affront to the gods and the masses would cheer as they struck you and your conspirators down."

For once, Ragna didn't have a snarky rebuke for Kagura. Instead he simply gave a small nod as he forced the man's arm off his person.

"Like I said; sunset. Try to find some formal wear if you don't want to be mocked all night… Oh, and you're free to bring someone with you." Ragna rolled his eyes only to fell himself get struck in the head by something small. Grabbing the small object that had bounced off him, he saw the platinum coin that Kagura had promised him from that morning. "I'm not your enemy Ragna, in fact I might just save your damned life one of these days…"

He looked to the coin in his hand and then the governor's son walking into the town gates, watching as the people of Trudalla immediately started swarming their chosen hero. Sighing to himself, he put the coin inside one of the pockets on his vest. The cart finally came to a stop and townspeople demanded to hear Kagura's tales of heroism. Avoiding the crowd, Ragna waited at the back of the cart and watched as Naoto silently leapt out of the cart and landed in front of him.

"So… you really sure you want to stick with me?" Ragna questioned. While avoiding eye contact, the child of unfortunate circumstance gave him a simple nod. Ragna smirked and rustled his hair like an older sibling would. "Let's go then." Taking the youth's hand in his own, Ragna led Naoto through the town… knowing full well he'd been in the young boy's place long ago.

 _Author's Note:_

 _Well, that's the chapter. Took a bit for me to get this one out, but I got to it. Now, at the end of each chapter I'll do a bit of a recap. Nothing too big, but just a basic summary for some of the story elements._

 _ **Character Relations**_

 _Kagura Mutsuki: 1st Rank_

 _ **Town Relations**_

 _Hometown: Revered Member_

 _Fortune's Step Inn: Boar Killer_

 _Trudalla: CHEAT~Begrudging Acceptance_

 _Now for the poll, which you can probably guess… who's going to be accompanying Ragna to the ball? Here are the choices._

 _Silvana; piss off all of the 'high class' people with a half-elf guest_

 _Emily; make her wear a dress just to get back at her_

 _Eric; former mayor's son might have some insight about this_

 _Marian; if Ragna's got to go to her for a suit, he might as well..._

 _Anyways, take care everyone! Bloodedge of Fairy Tail is next to update._

 _Until next time… ciao._


	6. A Miracle of Azure

_**Blue V: A Miracle in Azure**_

For Trudalla to be truly protected, they would need to have a sizable town guard force in order to keep a town of its size truly under guard at all time. This meant that Trudalla was required to have a large barracks for the guards to use; fully stocked with bedding, a mess hall and pantry, training supplies, and a proper training field. This training field on the western end of the city was where Eric, Emily, and Silvana currently found themselves as they trained under Zeus.

"Upper guard!" the mercenary leader commanded. Complying with the order, Eric brought his two wooden practice axes up in the air and crossed them as if to catch a weapon between them. Emily brough her wooden practice sword up at an angle and supported the grip with both of her hands tightly gripping the weapons hilt. Silvana… backstepped to dodge (she's half their height and uses a dagger, what's she supposed to do without magic?)

"Forehand slash!" That one was a bit easier Eric made a quick swipe to the side with both of his axe carrying enough speed and force to be audible. Emily's swing with as precise, though it lacked the same force and Silvana carried less force in her slash.

"Thrust!" While for Emily and Silvana this action seemed straight forward, Eric's weapon weren't designed for thrusting so Zeus had taught him a different technique. The former orphan instead swung both axes inward as a pincer attack to catch his enemies of both sides and making it more difficult for them to guard against.

"Left Guard! Back slash! Thrust! Parry! Dodge! Below guard!"

Thus Zeus continued to call out the commands that he'd taught the youths that morning. Each move was expected to be met with both speed and precision and the mercenary leader made a point to call out any errors or sloppiness in the forms he saw. Eventually, the mercenary leader was satisfied that he'd called enough commands in the set.

"Rest!" he called. Eric proved to be the most resilient of the lot and managed to keep his grip on his weapons while Emily and Silvana slumped over as they were forced to catch their breath. "Take a short breather, we'll do another round of dueling in a few."

"Not more dueling… We've been doing nothing but training and drills since this morning," Emily groaned that her bated breaths. Hearing a collection of chuckles, she saw a few of the town guards with slight smirk on each of their faces as they passed the group by and headed into the mess hall for dinner. "Tch, give me my bow and I'll put an arrow through those smug faces."

"Calm down, I'm sure they don't mean it like that," Eric told her as he slowly made his way over. "They're probably just remembering what their first days were like."

"How would you know?" Emily bit with ire.

"Back in my hometown, my father was good friends with the captain of our town guard," he told her as he thought back. "We used to have him over for dinner all the time and he'd always tell us stories about new recruits that fell flat on their faces." Eric then gave a shrug. "Since our town was so small, we needed help wherever we could get it, so we had around five women in the guard. They were… scary, to say the least."

"I'll bet," Emily said as she finally managed to catch her breath. The two then turned their attention to the young half-elf (who still had her hood covering her ears) trying to catch her breath. "She looks tired."

"Well she's not as big as the two of us are," Eric reminded. "Maybe we should get Zeus to take it easy on her." No sooner had Eric finished his statement than Emily got up and started running. "What's she-? Ragna!"

Indeed, the silver haired leader was making his awaited return. It didn't take the three long to notice that Ragna hadn't exactly had an easy time while he'd been out. They saw that the front of his chain shirt had been completely broken, the rest of his clothing looked like it had several red blood stains, and his chest had a recently closed wound on it. Hiding behind him was a small brown haired child who was trying not to get noticed as Eric and Emily made their way forward.

"Hey…" Emily said, speaking to him more tenderly than she normally did. "How was it?" Ragna didn't answer aloud, he merely shook his head. "That's… We'll who's this you've got standing behind you?"

"This is Naoto," Ragna said craning his neck back to the youth behind him. "He's going to be travelling with us for a while."

"With us?" Eric questioned as he tried to get a better look of the new addition. The youth cautiously peeked his head out from behind Ragna and tried his hardest not to shy away. "You sure that's a good idea? We're not really on the safest of journeys."

"...We're taking him to Aaron," Ragna explained, clearing the air had what had happened. "Well, we'll be taking him back tomorrow anyways, turns out there's some shit that I still gotta take care of here."

"Another favor you're doing for Kagura?" Eric asked.

"Something like that," the wielder of the azure admitted. He then noticed Silvana looking at him. "What's up Silv?"

"Mark," she said simply, referring to the birthmark on Ragna's chest. Now that the front of his chain shirt had been completely destroyed, the mysterious birthmark from his past life was shown in full.

"Oh, this thing? Yeah, Aaron says I've had this on me ever since I've been born. We've both done some looking through his books, but there's no telling what thing is supposed to stand for." He noticed that Silvana hadn't taken her eyes away from him… in fact he didn't think he'd seen her blink as single time. "Silvana?" The young half-elf then blushed before shying her gaze away.

"Heh, something tells me it's not your mark she was looking at _Boar Killer_ ," Zeus noted with a chuckle.

"I thought I told you that I hated that nickname, or is that why you're doing it?" Ragna asked with a low groan. "Go ahead and pay Zeus the money we still owe him. We should try to get Naoto here some food."

"Hold on," Zeus began with an eyebrow raised. "I'm not turning the gold down, but wasn't the deal to have you test them before I received the other half of my payment?"

"Yeah, but these guys look out of breath and I'm starving," Ragna told him. "'Sides they seem to think that you did a good job teaching them."

"Um… Ragna?" Naoto nervously began breaking his long standing silence within the group. "Do… do you think I could watch you fight? I… I want to see how you managed to save me…"

"Are you sure you want that kid? You've already had a hell of a day and I think you could use some rest…" Maybe it was his instincts as an older sibling, the youth's loss of his family, or the fact that he'd played a large part in taking care of the orphanage growing up, but he felt compelled that Naoto's needs were to be taken care of the first chance he got. Looking into the youth's eyes however, Ragna had a feeling he wasn't going to back down on this, in fact this might be some strange way to attempt to cope with losing his family. "...Alright, you win. Looks like we'll be getting that test in after all."

"Good, because I think we're starting to get an audience," the mercenary leader said as he glanced over his shoulder to the group of towns guardsmen that were arriving in the training yard and sticking near the wall. "My guess is they want to see your skill for themselves _Boar Killer_."

"Enough with that name already!" Ragna groaned. "Late question, but how the hell are you teaching them in the training yard anyways? Isn't this supposed to be for the town guard only?"

"Normally, but the I've done a few jobs for their captain in the past so the two of us are on fair terms," Zeus explained. "So, who wants to go first?"

"I will," Silvana told him as she brought up the wooden practice dagger she'd been given. As she got into the center of the ring Zeus grabbed Ragna a wooden practice sword off of the weapons rack.

"Don't go too hard on her," the mercenary told him with voice low enough to where Silvana wouldn't hear them. "She's done everything she could have to keep up with the other's, but she's still just a child."

' _Well she's got magic at least,'_ Ragna thought to himself before taking the sword and heading to the other end of the ring. All eyes from the recruit around the ring were on the two as they readied their weapons.

"Begin!" Zeus called out, immediately resulting in Silvana taking the first charge forward. Ragna managed to guard against the lunging stab she'd performed, but Silvana then spun her body and came at him with a slash from the side which Ragna was forced to move fast to block. She then used a small amount of her wind magic to leap high into the air and lunged downwards with her practice knife. Ragna again blocked the attack and forced Silvana off of him, only to watch her stab forward with her knife once more.

"What the hell?" Eric grunted in surprise as the young half-elf continued to try and force Ragna to stay defensive. "Why wasn't she fighting like this when we were training?"

"Well for one thing, this time she's using magic to help her movement," Emily noted as Silvana continued to use wind boosted attack that increased her speed and jumping power. "Second, we were the ones fighting her earlier, this time she's fighting against Ragna."

"I… I guess," Eric agreed as he thought it over in his head. "I mean it's pretty clear that she-"

The sudden sound of breaking wood and the brush of wind that had followed snapped him out of his thoughts. Ragna had turned Silvana's practice dagger to splinters and sent her to land on her rump with one solid connection from his own weapon. His sword was now pointed at Silvana, solidifying his win.

"And he stopped," Emily said casually.

"Stopped? Don't you mean won?" Eric questioned, receiving a perplexed look from Emily. "Ragna _won_ the match?"

"No, well yeah. I mean that he stopped holding back, that's why it looked like she was doing so much better fighting him than she did against us. If you didn't notice, he didn't attack back until that strike."

"True I guess, I just thought you meant…" Eric was about to say, but Emily didn't stay to hear him out and instead headed toward the two that had just fought. "Is… Is she in denial?"

"Denial of what?" Naoto asked, reminding Eric of the brown haired youth's presence.

"Um… You're too young to know," the older orphan tried to say as it looked like Ragna, Silvana, and Emily were having a small conversation of their own.

"No I'm not, you just don't want to tell me!" the younger boy accused. Eric considered simply telling him off, but doing that to a kid that had just lost his parents seemed unreasonably cruel… plus, like Ragna he did need to act the part of an older sibling from time to time.

"Fine. The thing with Ragna is… Well, the guy's got a talent for unintentionally getting women to notice him, the girls back in our village especially. Whenever he'd go into town the girls would always swarm over him and try to get as much time with him as they could. He never turned them down, but it was pretty apparent he wasn't looking for their attention… My guess is that Silvana might be starting to fall for him herself, but Emily doesn't want to consider it for… reasons."

"I… think I get it," Naoto said, though Eric was rather doubtful of that. "So… are you jealous of him?"

"Jealous?" Eric repeated. "I… No. I mean sure, occasionally I wish that he'd at least tell the girls to leave him alone and keep them from arguing with one another, but I've never been jealous of the guy... not once in my entire life."

"Oh," Naoto said simply as Silvana seemed to finish talking with the others and headed towards them. "Should you be?"

"...I'll have to get back to you on that one," he admitted before addressing the young half-elf. "Nice going out there Silvana, you were really pushing Ragna there."

"Thank you," Silvana said in her usual monotone voice before turning to the other youth that was with them. "Naoto?"

"Yeah? That's me," the youth answered quietly.

"How are… you?" the pink-haired girl asked, struggling to form a sentence that was more than two words.

"I… I don't know, I think I'm… alive at least," Naoto admitted with all of the tension he was in. "I just lost my family, but… I don't _feel_ anything."

"Yeah, a lot of kids were like that when they got to Aaron's orphanage. Most of the big group that I was with when I arrived had just lost our home and those that hadn't came from an orphanage in Bailo town that had been overcrowded. Most kids felt like their lives were over, many were afraid of what might happen to us… it wasn't a good feeling for anyone, myself included."

"...That… sounds like me," Naoto admitted. Eric put a hand on his shoulder of reassurance. "But what happened?"

"...Then we met Ragna, and soon enough everyone had started to recover," Eric told him before scratching the back of his head. "Some of the kids were scared of him at first; he rarely minces words, he's always complaining about work, and he's never showed anyone a sign of pity… but at the same time he was kind to the kids and he made sure that they got back on their feet. Whenever there was a fight between the orphans, an argument, or something like that Ragna was always the one to settle it." Eric then gave Naoto an encouraging smile. "Don't worry too much about it, you're in good hands with us."

"Th-thanks," Naoto said trying to force himself to give a small, sad smile.

"Ranga, Emily… Sparring soon," Silvana informed, once again needing to break her sentence into two separate parts. Eric brought his head up curious about why the two hadn't started their spar in the time they'd been talking. As it turned out, Emily had decided to give herself an edge in combat much like Silvana had and retrieved a bow and a quiver of dulled arrows. "Archer tactics?"

"Yeah, looks like it," Eric agreed. "She's got the right idea at least; she's much better with her bow than she is with a sword."

"You sure you're ready for this?" Ragna asked as Emily kept her distance from him and readied her bow.

"Trust me, I'm not about to have you do everything for me and I'm not going to be your damsel in distress," she told him with a confident smile.

"Never wanted you to, I can't stand that bullshi-" Unexpectedly, Ragna stopped mid-sentence as his face gave a harsh wince. His entire body felt alit with flames for a brief instant, but the feeling soon subsided.

"You alright?" Emily asked with worry. Ragna nodded and readied his blade. "Good, cause I'm aiming right between your eyes."

"I feel loved," Ragna sarcastically told her with a snarky grin.

"BEGIN!"

Just as Zeus had called the command to begin, Emily let loose an arrow from her bow. Leaning back at a harsh angle, Ragna felt the arrows feathers gently brush against his forehead before it passed him by and stuck into the wall behind him. Bringing his body stand to a full stand once more, Emily managed to fire off another arrow at him, but this one Ragna snagged out of the air like it was a fly buzzing around him. Smirking he then threw the arrow back at Emily, leaving her to dive out of the way to avoid it. With archer momentarily on the defensive, Ragna used the moment to rush forward and close the distance between the two.

"Hope you've been practicing!" Ragna shouted as he leapt into the air and flipped forward before bringing the blade down. Emily knew better than guard an attack with that much power behind in and instead rolled to the side as drew her own wooden blade. Ragna then made a quick lunge and Emly managed to deflect it to the side as he pushed her back. The young huntress could only use her sword with a single blade for she had kept her bow held in the other. Despite her newly acquired skill with a blade, Ragna knew the advantage of this and quickly disarmed her.

"This is why I also use a bow!" Emily said as she gripped the bow in both of her hands and swung it fiercely to force Ragna to take a step back. Using the minor window of time to her advantage, Emily grabbed the arrows out of the quiver and nocked, pulled, and fired in one solid movement. ' _I'm shooting him at point blank range, there's no way he could dodge-!_ '

Unseeable to the eye, Ragna brought his sword at the perfect position to block all three arrows at once. The projectiles embedded himself into the wood of his blade before he swung the weapon once more and stopped short of making contact with Emily's head, the force was enough to send a small burst of dust out around the two.

' _H-How?'_ Emily though with eyes wide with surprise as a few of the town guard gasped and murmured to themselves as did the small crowd of townspeople beginning to gather. The ex-Reaper slowly pulled the blade away from his childhood friend's surprised expression and looked at the arrow embedded in it.

"...You were planning to hit me with those? You could've taken my eye out," he said with concern. Emily merely nodded (in truth she'd thought the arrows hadn't been as sharp as they had been). "Jeeze, if I hadn't blocked 'em then I might've been in some tough shi-erg!"

Again Ragna harshly winced, turning Emily complexion from surprised at his abilities to concerned for her friend. Once again Ragna managed to shake the feeling off, but Emily noticed the beads of sweat forming on his forehead

"What's wrong with you?" she asked with concern. "Did something happen when you were killing those goblins?"

"I… I told you I'm fine, just a headache," Ragna told her before grabbing the arrows and yanking them out of his sword. "Get Eric over here, I'll fight him and then we'll all head to grab dinner with Naoto. I got some money for Kagura, so we can spend a little extra."

"You're sure you're all right… like you're completely sure?" Emily asked, leaving Ragna to roll his eyes in exasperation. "Hey! I'm just worried about you, idiot!"

"I'll be fine _mom_ ," Ragna mocked as he shook his head. "Come on, I'm starving. Sooner we get this done to sooner I can get some food in my stomach."

"Alright, have it your way," Emily said as she walked way in a huff. Eric was already making his way over to the ring so she merely passed him by, grumbling to herself while doing so.

"What'd you say to her now?" Eric asked with a small sigh.

"None of your damned business," Ragna said as he tried not to wince at yet another surge of pain. _'Damn… what the hell's going on with me…?_ ' Ignoring the feeling, he then addressed Eric's choice of weapons. "So what the hell's up with the second axe? I thought you only had the one."

"Zeus's idea; he told me if I could learn to use two axes at a time he'd give the second one to me free of charge." Eric then gave a confident smirk as he readied his weapon. "Don't hold back against me because I'm your friend."

' _Holding back's the last thing I could do now,_ ' Ragna thought as he was hit by yet another painful pulse. ' _I gotta finish this quick._ '

"Begin!"

Zeus's third and final call was met by both warriors charging towards each other with weapons drawn. Silvana had tried to overwhelm Ragna with magic enhanced speed, Emily kept her distance and pelted him with arrows from afar, Eric was going for a full frontal attack. He'd seen what Ragna could do in a fight and he knew that it was a long shot, but if he didn't try to do what he was best at he didn't think there was much point to continuing the journey. Plus, Ragna had held back against the girls; he was sure he'd at least get a fighting chance.

Ragna's sword and one of Eric's axes met with a dull _thwack_. Ragna grunted as he tried to push Eric back, but his friend wasn't giving him an inch. Taking his free weapon and swinging it, Ragna was forced to step back at Eric's follow up strike before swinging a third time at Ragna from opposing side. In order to avoid this attack, Ragna leapt into the air and performed the same aerial technique he'd used on Emily. Instead of dodging, Eric brought both of his weapons up and managed to to defend against the attack.

' _Funny, thought he'd be hitting me a lot harder than that,_ ' Eric thought as he forced Ragna off of him and went for the next strike. Ragna winced before swinging recklessly and managed to knock the second axe out of Eric's hand. Surprised by the sudden surge of power, Eric brought his axe back as Ragna did the same with his sword. Both warriors swung their weapons at the same time… but only Eric's hit its mark. The axe user was startled as his weapon made contact with Ragna's ribs before his opponent was halfway through his swing, Ragna fell to his knees and gripped his side as he winced.

"Ragna!" Eric said quickly dropping his axe. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-!"

"Get back!" Ragna screamed causing several of the surrounding warriors to grow concerned. "Don't get near me!"

"H-Hey, it was just sparring... " Eric began. "I didn't mean to-" Ragna then took his hand off his damaged side and gripped his throbbing head as the pain seemed to intensify. "Hey! What's wrong with you!?"

"Ragna!" Silvana and Emily shouted as they ran toward him.

' _Damn it… can't… stop…'_ A blaze of his azure aura surrounded him and sent gasps and shouts from around the training yard. ' _What the hell-!?'_

" _It's time for you to wake up."_

At his limit, Ragna's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he fell to the ground unconscious. His last sensation was hearing the screams of his friends as they ran towards him.

 _ **-Unknown-**_

"Mugh… ugh… What… what happened?" Ragna groaned aloud. He slowly opened his eyes which widened as soon he as he managed to get a glimpse of where he was. Oddly enough, his vision hadn't blurred over and his head was cleared of any grogginess almost instantly. His setting, on the other hand, wasn't as easy to explain. He seemed to be in some sort of strange granite hallway, crumbling and ruined with age under a stormy black sky. The floor was cracked in several places and where the floor had fallen avoid revealed only a black void. Thorny vines protruded from cracks in the wall and added to the ominous atmosphere. "Wh… What the hell is this?"

"Welcome," said a familiar voice. Ragna grit his teeth as he turned his head to the familiar hooded woman from before. "Miss me?"

"You bitch! What the hell did you do to me!?" Ragna demanded, an odd sensation still covering him.

"Not much, I'm not responsible for bringing you here… well not fully responsible anyways," she admitted as she summoned a crystal goblet of red wine to her hand. "Ever since your fight with the goblins, your being has been slowly pulled to this place who's origin and name I know not. You'd have been brought here soon anyways, and I figured if I did this now it might save you an awkward evening of explaining this to the visiting nobility."

"So you've been eavesdropping on me this whole time!?" Ragna shouted as he made his way to his feet, his angry glare not moving off of the woman for a moment, but oddly noticing that she seemed to have gotten shorter than he was. "Stay the hell away from me!"

"If you're going to yell at me, could it at least be about that new choice of apparel you've acquired?" she asked, before taking a long sip of her wine.

"New apparel, what the godda-?" Ragna froze as he got a look at his clothing. He was wearing his regular clothing, the clothing he'd always worn back in his home world. His metal plated shoes, his black hakama, his favored red coat, even his arms had been restored to normal. Glancing behind him, he soon saw that the only thing he was lacking was his sword _Bloodscythe_ which wasn't surprise as he distinctly remembered leaving it behind in his home world. He'd even grown back to full height, now returning to his regular 6 foot 1 inch height in place of his 5 foot 4 inches form; now taller than the enigma's 5 foot 7 inch height.

"Hmmm… Red coat, taller, different heterochromia eyes… I think this is pretty striking look for you," the woman said to him with approval in her tone.

"Shut up, I don't want to hear that from you," Ragna muttered as he crossed his arms and took another look at his bearings. Down one end of the hallway was a wall of thorns that looked like it was closing off an opening to another room. The other way led further down the hallway where Ragna couldn't see where it ended, even with his improved eyesight.

"Well who would you want to hear it from? That little huntress that's staying by your side? Or maybe that half-elf who-" in the middle of her agonizing questioning, she noticed that Ragna was starting his walk, heading in the direction of the endless hallway. "Hey!" she shouted before floating into the air and following after him.

"If you're not going to get me out of here then go away," Ragna demanded as he kept his eyes forward and tried to keep his rage to a minimum.

"Come now, what's so wrong about me?" the woman asked.

"For one thing, I've never seen your face," Ragna muttered continuing to walk. He then looked at his right arm and tried charging power into his arm, resulting in no effect. _'Well that's not good.'_

"Really? I would've thought that people would appreciate a woman with an air of mystery about her… is that to say that you prefer women who are so smitten with you that they leap into your arms at seeing your skill with a blade?"

"No, I'm prefer y-" Ragna stopped himself before he could make _THAT_ mistake a second time. "None of your damned business. Why the hell do you want to know anyways?"

"Just trying to paint an easier picture of you," she told him somewhat truthfully. "I told you; you and you alone carry all of my interest. That's something few people had ever gotten close to doing."

"Shut up you-" Ragna was about to call her a _bitch_ again, but he realized that it wouldn't get him anywhere. "What the hell's your name?"

"Oh, now you ask me. Got tired of coming up with new insults did you?" the enigma said with with a smile. "Call me (Hklrovih)."

 ***See author's note at the end for contest details***

"Um… what was that?" Ragna asked with confusion. "I… I don't know what the hell you just said."

"Oh, so even you can't hear my name then?" the hooded enigma asked before shrugging. "For now you may call me _Pandora_ , that's a good name wouldn't you agree?"

"Pandora? ...You mean like that old greek story; Pandora's box?" Ragna asked, thinking back to a myth his teacher had once told him next to a campfire. In the story a girl had been gifted a box (or pithos depending on who you ask) that carried several demons and curses to plague humanity. She'd been told by the king of the gods that no matter what she shouldn't open the box, but she eventually gave in to her curiousity. After unleashing the spirits and becoming devastated by her mistake, she was punished by the gods for her actions… Ragna didn't like the story much.

"Pandora's what? I don't know what you're talking about. I just love the sound of the name," the woman said, seeming genuinely confused for the first time that Ragna had seen her. "And what's a greek?"

"Nothing, just… nothing," Ragna told as continued walking. Glancing down at his favored coat once more, he chuckled. ' _At least I've got this thing back… I should try to remember everything I can about my coat so Marian's replica is as close as can be._ '

Thunder rumbled in the skies above, causing Ragna to stare at the storm skies. It had been evening when he'd lost consciousness and the skies had been relatively clear. Making his new mysterious location all the more vexing.

"Pandora, where the hell are we?" Ragna asked glaring back at the enigmatic woman who merely shrugged once more. "So we don't have any idea of how to get our bearings then? Do we at least have an idea of how far we are from Trudalla?"

"Distance is… a difficult thing describe in this place," she admitted. "We're both still inside Trudalla and an eternity away from it. My advice is to keep moving forward and hope that you can find a way home."

"So you brought me here without knowing that I could really get back," Ragna said in sheer annoyance. "Well, that's just fu-"

 _ **BOOM!**_

Ragna was interrupted mid-swear by the roaring thunder from the storm clouds above him. Glaring up at the skies he saw that the storm was becoming more restless and he he saw bolts of lightning forming in the clouds. One bolt of lightning struck the ground before him and created black flames along the floor, halting his progress.

"This just keeps getting stranger and stranger," Ragna thought to himself as he stared at the black flames before him. "This is gonna suck…"

"Don't try walking through that fire," Pandora warned him. "I don't know how durable you think you are now, but those flames are of a different quality than anything in our world. You'd literally dissolve from existence just by getting close to them."

"So I'm blocked off then? Dammit," Ragna groaned.

"Grrrrrrrrrr…"

The feral growl coming from the flames had Ragna immediately going on the defensive as he reach back for his sword… that wasn't there like it usually was. The growling increased in volume as the black flames before him gathered together and began taking form. The ex-Reaper's eyes grew wide as it took the form of a monster from his past; a shadowy mass of seither in the form of a nightmarish wolf. It wasn't alone as the wall of flames turned into seven of the creatures each one growling in unison with the others.

' _Damn, what the hell are they doing here?_ ' Ragna thought to himself with aggravation as the wolves slowly made their way forward. ' _I can worry about about that later, right now I need to come up with how to beat them. I don't have my Azure or my Soul Eater drive and if they're made out of that fire I don't want to hit them with my fists so I need a weapon._ '

Ragna was snapped out of his thoughts as a massive black blade impaled itself on the ground in front of him. The blade was large and curved, somewhat similar to _Bloodscythe_ in that regard. It seemed to made out of sharp, long, and interlocking scales of darkness. Their color and the shape of the blade almost gave it a black angel wing look. Glaring back at Pandora, Ragna saw her merely swirling the wine in her goblet and smirking at him.

"Well, are you going to defend yourself or not?" she asked with more rhetorical whimsy.

Ragna rolled the eyes before taking the blade in his hand and yanking it out of the ground. Compared to the sword he'd used in the tournament and the one he'd used against the goblins, this one was much heavier, but he could still wield it in a single hand with ease. As one of the wolves worked up the courage to lunge towards him, he swung the blade and tore through the creature with ease and caused the flames to disperse. Seeing one of its brother's fall, a second wolf lunged forward only to again be cut down by Ragna.

The remaining five seither wolves were smarter and instead dove to the sides to surround Ragna in a circle. Knowing that he had to be careful, Ragna kept the blade close to him and watched to wolves circling him, waiting for the right time to strike. When one of the wolves just started its bound forward in the circle, Ragna lunged forward and stabbed his blade through it. While most of the other wolves were forced to turn, the one directly behind him leapt at his back leaving Ragna to stab the sword behind him and impaled the seither wolf in the middle of its lunge. The remaining three wolves then lunged at him all at once, but the Reaper merely roared as he swung his entire body with the blade and cut them down in mid-air.

"Nicely done," Pandora complimented with a smile. "My sword suits you well."

"Well…" Ragna began, taking another long look at the blade. "It works I guess…"

"Hmph, you can't keep it; I'm only lending it to you until we manage to find what's hiding in this odd place," she told him. "If you want that blade you'll have to earn it, say… another _ten_ favors on top of the one you already owe me."

"Not interested," he grumbled as he continued his journey down the long corridor. A few steps into his walk, he realized something important that she'd said. "Wait, I still owe you a favor? Then what the hell is this?"

"This? This is merely something for your own benefit not mine; I'm only following you because I'm curious," Pandora told him. "In fact with all of the help I'm giving you I should be charging you yet another favor. Isn't it nice of me that I'm not?"

"Tch, you really know how to get on a guy's nerves," Ragna grumbled before leaping over one of the openings in the floor. "What the hell is that you're trying to do anyways? And how the hell do I fit into it?"

"You want the full truth then?" the woman asked with an eager smile. "Well… I suppose I can tell you this much… All I'm looking for currently is to make you my champion. Your control of that strange new magic is impressive, as is your unexpected skill for someone lacking battle experience… There's more to you than what appears on the surface, I can be sure of that. The only question is how much of it are you really aware of..."

"...That's a good question," Ragna admitted, as he remembered that while he'd inherited the _Azure_ there was no telling how much of it he'd truly be able to use. He heard a soft crumbled sound and saw that a piece of the path behind him had fallen, heading into the endless dark abyss. "This place looks like it's going to hell; I should hurry if I'm going to get out of here before it collapses completely."

"My thoughts as well," Pandora said as Ragna took off into a sprint while resting the blade on his shoulder. He hadn't managed to get very far before lightning struck the ground once more summoning more beasts of shadows before him. As Ragna slowed to halt with a scowl covering his face, another bolt struck the ground behind him, summoning more seither wolves from that side. "Seems like you're surrounded…"

"Go figure," he muttered before brandishing his blade. "If I gotta fight through hell then so what? It's what I'm best at!" With that challenge he charged towards the monsters, merely leaving Pandora to smirk to herself as she watched her potential champion.

 _ **Later**_

Ragna had been traveling for so long he'd lost track of how far he'd gone and how many fights he'd been in. He was sick of fighting the shadowy monsters that looked to much like the seither wolves from his past, one of the beasts that had set off a chain of events that had turned him from a orphan looking out for his siblings into a vengeful reaper wanted by the entire world. The only upside was that he didn't feel hungry from all of his travels… in fact he felt very little. No signs of hunger, thirst, or even fatigue from his travels. He supposed it helped that he'd more or less traversed most of his homeworld on foot and had built up endurance with it, but it was still an odd lack of sensations.

Pandora had become slightly more reserved, only asking the occasional question from him. Such as where he'd gained use of his powers, how he grew up in the orphanage, or even his favorite type of food… Needless to say, Ragna hadn't given her an inch on any question except that last one where he admitted he enjoyed the spiced fish he occasionally prepared (he couldn't say udon since he doubted it had been created yet). Unfortunately, even just answering that last question had left Pandora more curious than before and made her insist him to promise that he'd prepare some for her in the near future. Ragna had learned his lesson and refused to answer any of her follow up question, even biting his tongue at some of her more embarrassing inquiries.

Eventually after fighting through countless seither beasts, enduring Pandora's questions, and leaping over large gaps in the crumbling hallway, Ragna finally made it to a door at the end of his large treck. The wall itself didn't seem to be anything special, just two 15 foot tall, thick, ebony slabs of metal without a design of any sort on the front. Ragna could hear strange whispering sounds coming from the other side, but they were too quiet for him to hear properly.

"Seems like this could be our exit… or a doorway further into this bizarre sanctuary," Pandora noted. She no longer held a goblet of wine in her hands, but that didn't mean that she'd run out. In fact, Ragna had noticed that the goblet never seemed to have any less wine in it no matter how much she drank (he made a note to never tell Eric about it with his tendency to drink). "So young one… are you ready for whatever lies on the other side?"

"Like you need to ask," the Grim Reaper muttered as he put his hands on both of the doors. "And for the record, call me Ragna."

"Oh, so now I've been gifted with thy name personally," Pandora noted before giggling in a strangely refined manner. "Perhaps you've started to warm up to me after all."

"Not a chance in hell," Ragna bit as he pushed the massive doors open.

The other side was quite an oddity. A massive room of about 50 square feet, with a crumbling floor and thorny vines protruding from the walls much like the hallway outside. The most eye catching difference was massive hole in the center of the room. Instead of the usual black abyss, this lead into a swirling vortex of light and darkness that emitted a raw power. The voices were slightly clearer to Ragna now and they sounded almost familiar, like the people from his own world.

"This place just seems to be getting more and more mystic as we progress," Pandora told him as she looked down into the vortex. "Is this the end of the line for you?"

"I doubt it," Ragna admitted as he too gazed over the side. "There wasn't anyway for me to go a different direction and the other way was blocked by those vines… looks like I'm going to have to jump in and hope for the best."

"Reckless, but I don't see another way," Pandora admitted. "Be sure you leave my blade here, I don't want to lose it should your-" Ragna then leapt into the whirlpool, taking the blade with him as he began his fall into the unknown. "...Hmph, how cute."

The Reaper fell further and further, his conscious seemed to fade as he did so. Keeping the sword close to him, he close his eyes and let oblivion envelop him. For one long moment there was nothing, and then Ragna felt a gentle breeze against his skin. He slowly opened his eyes… and memories came flooding back.

 _ **(Cue Final Fantasy VII Advent Children ONE WINGED ANGEL)**_

A church stood before him, not Aaron's church for it was of a much different build, it was the church in the plains where he'd grown up the first time; the church of Celica A. Mercury. Ragna stood completely still as he stared at the building before him, not even flinching as Pandora blinked into existence beside him. The enigma then glanced around the area in her own confusion.

"This is… I've never seen these lands before... That building doesn't look familiar either," she noted in awe of the strange location. "This place, where is it? _What_ is it?"

Even if Ragna wanted to answer her he couldn't as he was still frozen, merely staring at the scene before him like a deer in headlights. Despite his numbness he took a fragile step forward, almost is if he were worried that he'd somehow break the scene before him. The moment he did though he was covered in shadows dark shadows. Instinct kicked in and saved his life as he dove to the side and avoided becoming crushed by the creature that had descended from the heavens.

" _ **...ure…"**_

Ragna turned his gaze to the massive creature that stood before him and scowled, the creature was about eight feet tall in height and bideal. It's arms were long and thick with nastily clawed hands at the ends with talons that were a half foot long. Its legs were bent slightly as the creature hunched over and growled ferally like it was prepared to lunge and rip Ragna's throat out. Its entire body was made out of the black flames from earlier, expect that they were completely condensed into a solid muscular form.

" _ **...Failure…"**_

Ragna's eyes then landed on the creature's nightmarish head, a face that made him his heart skip a few tick and his body go cold. The monster's head gave off a fiery aura of black and red flames with enough ferocity and power that Ragna could feel the sheer heat from where he was standing. It's shape, however, was that of one of the _Black Beast's_ heads, a demonic testament to a hundred years of carnage and strife. The Reaper grit his teeth as he raised his sword to fight the abomination.

" _ **FAILURE!"**_

At the creature's scream, the church behind it burst into flames bathing the fields in a crimson glow. They sky immediately darkened from the smoke and the smell of his burning home entered Ragna's nostrils once more. All around the area came the sickening laugh of a madman and villain from Ragna's past along with his own screams from the day both his right arm and any chance of a peaceful life had been forcefully taken from him.

" _ **FAILURE!"**_

" **SHUT UP!"** he shouted as he charged towards the monster. He roared as he ran towards the creatures leaping up high into the air before bringing his blade down. The monster didn't move, in fact it took the hit head on. Ragna's borrowed blade cut into the creature's shoulder, but the blow itself was too shallow and the monster didn't seem to feel any pain. "What the-?"

The monster then turned its nightmarish head and Ragna could feel the hairs on his body stand up as the _Black Beast_ creature charged as massive attack and formed an energy ball in front of its mouth. Ragna knew that if he was hit by that thing point blank there probably wouldn't be anything left of him. Strongly panting his foot into the creature's chest, Ragna pried the blade away just as the blast was fired. The energy missed him by just a hair's breadth and the ray soared out into the distance before it exploded with destructive force beyond anything else. It was so powerful that the shock wave from miles away was enough to send him flying forward, to where the creature swung its claw at him.

"Shit!" he swore before swinging his sword in midair.

He hit the claw with the flat off his sword to propel him skyward. The monster then swung it other taloned arm to claw him, but Ragna managed to swing the sword again and instead. Narrowly dodging the attack, Ragna landed to the floor along with two off the creature's severed fingers. A fiery blaze emitted from each of the stubs and condensed until they were both replaced with fully clawed fingers. The fingers that fell to the ground with Ragna glowed with energy before exploding sending Ragna flying back once more.

He managed to dig his feet into the ground and come to a halt before recklessly rushing forward once more with the dark angel blade drawn. The monster then tore up and entire slab of solid earth before flinging it at Ragna. The Reaper cleaved through the massive projectile, before sliding on the ground to avoid, the creature as it slammed its massive fist to the ground and caused a small tremor, Ragna then leapt into the air and drove the blade skywards. The damage to the creature's body was again superficial, but when the blade hit its head the monster's entire form seemed to unstabilize as the creature let out a roar of pain.

The Reaper smirked as he realized he'd found the monster's weak point, but his confidence was short lived as the creature grabbed him out of the air. Ragna's hands were forced to his side while the demonic beast began crushing his bones. Gritting his teeth and forcing himself through the pain, Ragna managed to part the creature's fingers just far enough to cleave them off with his sword. The creature growled before charging energy once more and glaring down at him. Not having a second to waste, Ragna leapt upward and cleaved at the creature's head a second time. The attack damaged the creature and sent it off balance to fire and forced it to fire the blast into the air.

As Ragna landed behind his opponent his success was short lived as he was blasted by a powerful form of power square in his back and sent flying forward. With a sickening crash, he fell head first into the burning orphanage sending flaming wreckage flying. His sword, fortunately, had impaled itself in the dirt not far from him. Slowly picking himself out of the burning debris, Ragna raised his head in time to see the projectile soaring towards him and leaping out of the way at the last second. Coming to his feet and looking upon the monster, he saw that its form was wavering constantly now showing that it was weakening, but it was also surrounded by strange orbs of energy. Growling and pointing a taloned claw, the _Black Beast_ monster sent out another of these orbs at a devastating speed, and destroying the church when it made contact

The Reaper had leapt out of the rubble at the last moment and had grabbed his sword, but more orbs were closing in on him quickly. Ragna dodged to the side and cut through to one to dispel it, he rolled out of the way and let another exploded on the ground. Unfortunately the monster then took better control of a third orb and made it evade Ragna's sword slash before hitting him square in the chest and blasting him back. The Grim Reaper barely managed to keep ahold of his blade as he was struck again and stumbled back. He blindly slashed and managed to catch another orb, but was struck by two more in the process. Another blind slash resulted in him being battered by countless more explosions.

' _Blacking out…_ ' Ragna thought through the head splitting pain as he was battered again and again. ' _Not… going to make it… Is this really it?_ ' Ragna lost his grip on his blade after an orb exploded on his arm. ' _Damn… Haven't I been through enough of this shit…?_ '

He fell to the ground and landed with a fatal thud where he lie unmoving. The monster created countless more orbs of power and used them to surround Ragna. Each of the orbs surrounding him then began to grow as the creature increased their power.

" _Ragna! You can't let it end! Not like this!_ " a voice in his mind screamed. " _You have to get up! Please!"_

' _That voice… Noel?_ '

" _All these times I fought through hell for just a chance to kill you and you're going to give up here,_ ' a much cooler voice said to him in contempt. " _Dying here can only sully my memory of you… brother."_

' _Easy for you to say… Jin._ '

His vision was beginning to blacken out as he looked at the monstrous _Black Beast_. The orbs around him soared towards his downed form in slow motion.

" _Such a selfless idiot… You'll allow yourself to die, even after accomplishing nothing for yourself... What is it Ragna? What is it that YOU really want?_ "

' _Ra...chel…_ ' Ragna moaned in his mind _'I… I want… to-_

The orbs connected and created a massive explosion. Pandora sighed as she shook her head, her chance of a champion have fallen before her. She could look for other's true, but this one had been especially promising and she had just begun to like him. The creature responsible for his downfall leaned its head back and let out a massive roar that shook the heavens above.

"HEY BASTARD! I'M NOT DONE YET!"

The enigmatic woman gasped as she saw the battered form of Ragna, standing just in front of the explosion as he glared at the creature with indescribable hatred. He lips were curled in a snarl and his hands were clenched around his sword. He let out a massive roar as he surged forward, his blood thirst enough for the creature to take a step back in total fear of the new demon. The _Black Beast_ created and sent out a final orb as a final resort, but Ragna managed to catch the it in the palm of his left hand. He grunted in agony as just holding the attack was threatening to tear his left arm apart a second time, but nevertheless he continued his assault forward through the pain.

Unable to form more energy orbs in time the creature tried to claw at Ragna, but the Reaper dove down and avoided the attack before thrusting the orb or dark energy into the creature's chest. The monster was sent off balance as Ragna leapt into the air and plunged the blade through the creature's head. It screamed as it tried to knock him off, but Ragna held on with the little strength he had left and kept the blade impaled. Letting out one final nightmarish scream, the creature fell to the ground and began dissolving into black fire.

 **(End theme)**

Ragna said nothing as flames vanished completely, leaving an azure sphere left in the creature's wake. Just by standing near it he could see the titanic power it emitted as it began to float just a few feet off the ground. Taking his gaze away from the mysterious object, he looked at Pandora who merely seemed to be gazing at him from beneath her hood. With neither of them saying a word to each other, Ragna held out the weapon she'd given him and let her take it. The weapon then disappeared in a swirl of black wind and dark metal feathers.

"So…" Ragna began, unsure of how to explain what had transpired to Pandora or if he even should for that matter. Behind them the church's fire had gone out, leaving only an ashy husk of the building where he'd lived in what seemed like a lifetime ago.

"You don't need to tell me anything…" Pandora said gently. Ragna could see that she was smiling underneath her hood and that had him worried, very worried. "In fact, I'd actually prefer it if you told me nothing at all… You're a puzzling figure Ragna, and I'm looking forward to finding and connecting your many pieces myself."

"You've got a strange taste in puzzles then…" he grunted, feeling too tired and battered to even attempt to argue with her.

"Also, I'd like to collect that favor from you now," she said to him with a gentle voice. If anything, this new tone of her's had Ragna worried to a new degree altogether especially with what had just emerged from that monster. "I don't want that orb; you've already earned your prize with your struggle. I just want your word… That no matter how awful a situation may get… No matter how bleak the outcome will be… No matter what your mind, your body, or your spirit has to sacrifice… Promise me that you'll never stop fighting."

"That's all you want? Well…" Ragna began before he sent Pandora an irritated glare. "How much of that shit's going to be caused by you?"

"Someone's direct," she retorted snarkily. "But I don't think you need to know that, do you? No matter what I would say, we both know you've already decided."

"...Fine, I promise," he told her. "So… how am I supposed to get out of here now?"

"I'd suggest you take the orb, that seems to be your only hope at present," she told him as her form slowly seemed to depart into the wind like ash. "Until we met again Ragna… I'll be looking forward to it… _My chosen hero..._ " Then she was gone without a trace.

"...What is it with her?" the Reaper muttered aloud before turning his gaze back to the azure orb before him. It looked exactly like the _True Azure_ that had set the stage for his final battle with Yuuki Terumi, albeit much smaller and not nearly as powerful. "...Let's hope this works."

Though very hesitant, Ragna eventually reached his hand out towards the orb. His hand didn't stop at it surface, rather it slowly sank into the sphere. The orb didn't feel dangerous or even slightly chaotic; it was slightly warm to the touch and it almost gave him a feeling of great calm. Closing his eyes and letting himself relax, he brought his mind to a rest as he allowed the _Azure_ to flow into him. The feeling of gentle warmth flowed throughout his entire body as his conscious faded once more.

 _ **-Unknown-**_

"Uhh… What now…?" Ragna groaned to himself as he slowly opened his eyes. He felt fortunate to not be suffering for a headache, but now he felt cold and numb over his entire body. Looking down he realized he was in a bed, the sheets keeping him tucked in tight.

"Finally awake are you?" he heard a familiar voice ask. Craning his neck to his right, he saw Kagura sitting at a chair before a small table as he closed the book he'd been reading. The tome's title was _The Countless Epics of Trudarian_ , a book that Ragna had no experience reading _._ "You gave everyone quite the scare."

' _...So I'm back in this place_ ,' Ragna noted silently as he stared at his surrounding. He noticed the abundance of spiritual artifacts and holy symbols along the room. From the window, he could see bright light outside surging into the room. "How long have I been out?"

"The whole night," Kagura admitted as he stood. "Sun hasn't been up for very long. The local clergy of Genreckor picked you up once… once the incident started. They were worried that something might happen to one of their contestants or that you'd end up ruining something. Well, that's what they thought at first…"

"At first?" Ragna repeated aloud before realizing that it felt a little too breezy beneath the sheet. "The hell? ...They stripped me!?"

"...Actually that was me; your clothing had been touched by that strange energy and they thought you needed to get out of it. Don't worry you've still got your small clothes on and…" Kagura hesitated before continuing, and when he did he didn't look Ragna in the eye nor did he sound pleased. "And I didn't see too much."

' _What's his problem?_ ' Ragna thought to himself with confusion before shaking the thought out of his head. One thing he did notice, his feet were sticking out from the end of his bed. Sure this happened from time to time back in the orphanage, but here he was even positioned to lean upright against the head of his bed. Realizing what it might mean, Ragna threw the sheets off of himself and gaped at his own body. "Holy…"

"Hey, we're in a church," Kagura muttered from where he sat. "But yeah, the rest of us were surprised too…"

From the time he'd been asleep Ragna's body had undergone an unnatural growth. While his body in his former world stood at a decent 6'1" and in this world he was 5'4", now he stood at 6'10" (a little over two meters tall), over a foot and a half taller than he'd been in this body the day prior. Not only did he stand higher, but his formerly skinny and toned body had become broader and his muscles had a much more defined volume to them. He looked himself over in complete shock at the turn of events as he sat up on the bed.

"This… this isn't what I was expecting," Ragna muttered as he flexed his arm as a test.

"Tell me about it, when the church first brought you here they had thought that the gods had decided to smite you for your behavior, now they're thinking that they may have _blessed_ you for the endurance you've showed in your trials."

' _Is this some kind of side effect of the Azure?_ ' Ragna thought to himself before noticing Kagura's accusing glare. "What?" he questioned bluntly.

"I think I deserve an answer on what the hell really happened," the _Black Gale_ told him. "Half the city knows that something's weird with you and I know you're hiding something from me."

"Pot calling the kettle black," the ex-Reaper said as he returned the glare. "You and that little lapdog of yours ain't exactly open books yourselves, are you?"

"Then let's be fair with each other," Kagura told him as he stood and muttered a brief incantation. The room was soon covered in a strange soft glow. "There, now there won't be anyone to eavesdrop on us. Let's tell each other the truth, but only as much as we're comfortable with. Deal?"

"...You're going first," Ragna told him as he crossed his arm, an action that felt awkward to him given his new size.

"I wasn't entirely truthful about why I want you in this tournament," Kagura admitted. "Sure you'd be prosecuted by the church, but the truth is I'm probably going to need your help in the second round of the tournament. It's a test made for two and it's responsible for wiping out a large portion of the first round victors."

"Are you really sure I'm the right person to trust then? You can see that the church hates me can't you?"

"Hey, I've got a reputation for betting on the longshot and coming out on top," Kagura told him with a cocky smirk. "Besides, after your recent transformation I'm sure that they don't have any idea _what_ to think of you. 'Sides, you've got some serious skills, I can tell that much."

"So that's your game…" Ragna said with a sigh before trying to figure what he could tell Kagura. "I… I don't really know anything about these powers. I've just always had them since I discovered I could use it when I was running around in the woods back home. I mean I've done some practice with it since then, but I still don't have any idea of how I got it."

"And the powers themselves, can they help you avoid and counter attacks from your opponents?" Kagura questioned, remembering what he and Hibiki had discussed yesterday.

"...I don't think so," Ragna told him honestly.

"Kagura," a new voice said as the door opened and the glow around the room faded completely. Ragna's gaze went to the opened door when he saw a young lady with dark hair done back in a ponytail that reached all the way to her thighs and violet eyes similar to Kagura's. She was no lady of the church, he could tell by her high class silk clothing, but she seemed to be someone of great importance. "I'm supposed to tell you that…"

She stopped her statement as he eyes gazed upon a half-naked man with violently glowing azure eyes for a brief moment.

"I'M SO SORRY! I'LL BE WAITING OUTSIDE!" she screamed before slamming the door violently causing the artifacts to rattle on their shelves and her sprint down the hall was heard clear as day by the two inside the room.

"Aw man," Kagura moaned. "You had to go and scare my little sister."

"Not my fault I- Wait, you've got a little sister?" Ragna questioned with surprise. "You? With all of your womanizing?"

"Yeah, your point?" Kagura asked as he made his way to the door. "There's some clothes for you in the drawers. I got you the biggest that we could find. Just make sure you've got a good suit for the ball tonight; you're not out of it just 'cause of this… If anything, now you need to show up more than ever."

"Shit…" Ragna swore as Kagura exited the door. "So he's got a sister… Did he ever have one back home?" Deciding he could question it later, Ragna opened the drawers and got out the new clothing he'd need to wear for the time being. The material was a basic brown village leather and the quality was at least decent. He slipped the pants and shoes both felt pretty snug and the former only went down to his thighs, his shirt on the other hand…

"This ain't gonna work," Ragna said to himself as tried to get the shirt on. Indeed, there was no way the shirt could fit him, as evident by the horrible ripping sounds that came afterwards. "Great, just great…" he snarled as he left the tatters of the shirt on the floor.

He headed over to the side of the room and picked his broadsword up. Looking at the weapon now, it looked like it was now a rather small blade for his new body. Merely because he didn't want to waste the money he'd paid for to get the sword, Ragna threw the straps over his shoulder and headed out of the room. He'd hoped that people wouldn't be pay attention to a shirtless man of his size, but seeing the face of every clergy man and woman turn to stare at him as he passed by, he knew he'd never be that lucky.

 _ **-The Prancing Stallion Inn-**_

"Come on Naoto, you've got to eat something," Eric tried to tell the young orphan who was merely staring at the breakfast before him. "Don't tell me you're a picky eater…"

"I'm not hungry," the brown haired youth told him, merely keeping his head hung over the porridge that the group had insisted he eat.

"You've got to keep your strength up," Emily told him. "Look, I know you've been through a lot, and I know you're worried about Ragna, but starving yourself isn't going to help anyone." Naoto didn't respond. "Listen, either you can sit and eat like the rest of us, or I can spoon feed you in front of everyone." At her threat the youth looked up to face her with a crimson tinged and nervous face. "...I'll do it."

"Harsh mother," Silvana commented as she had her own porridge.

"What was that!?" Emily shouted.

"...Nothing," the half-elf responded passively taking a long sip of her food. Naoto realized he didn't have much of a choice and slowly began eating his porridge.

' _I hope the church doesn't do anything drastic, I'm probably the only guy here who has ANY idea of how to take care of this kid besides Ragna and at least he can connect to Naoto on some level_ ,' Eric thought as the door to the tavern was flung open revealing his best friend. "Ragna!"

"It's about time he showed up," Emily grumbled as she rose from he seat and stomped over. "Where have you been you idiot! You've had us-!" She froze mid-sentence as she realized that this wasn't the same Ragna that she'd seen the day prior. Standing in front of him, it was hard for her to take her eyes off his newly developed muscles. "You… had us…"

"Buff," Silvana noted as she too stared at Ragna along with everyone else in the restaurant.

"...Sorry to worry you," he told them emotionlessly as he made his way over to their table and took an abrupt seat, which wasn't a good idea because the chair creaked under his weight. He then turned to Naoto. "You doing okay kid?"

"I… I guess so," Naoto told him. Ragna gave a small smirk as he ruffled Naoto's hair. "What happened to you?"

"I don't really know," Ragna admitted. He then noticed the serving girl coming over to take his order, the same serving girl that had wanted to charge him extra yesterday so that she wouldn't do anything nasty to his food. Now she was having trouble looking at him in the eye as she too stared at his exposed chest. Rolling his eyes, Ragna took two of the three gold coins out of his pockets and tossed them to her. "As much food as you can bring me for this. I don't care what it is, just make sure there's a lot of it…"

She nodded before heading off, leaving Ragna less worried than he'd been yesterday that she'd be doing something to his food. Noticing that there were still several patron staring at him and his newly acquired physique, he sent a harsh glare their way and made them avert their gazes. Before long the serving girl started bringing food out and Ragna dug into it like a starved beast. Plates were getting cleared left and right as Ragna scarfed down the food quickly, barely leaving himself any time to breath. The patrons of the inn were now staring at him for a completely different reason.

"Jeeze, have some restraint," Eric muttered as he took a sip of his mug of coffee.

"Well when you have to go through a solid day without eating only to pass out and grow like I just did you can show me up with all the restraint you want," Ragna told him as he finished yet another bowl of porridge. He then grabbed the mug before him and quickly downed its contents. "Damn, I needed this."

"I couldn't tell," Emily responded with a roll of her eyes. "By the way, yesterday you were saying that there was another job that you needed to help Kagura with… Did he ever tell you what it was?"

"Yeah…" Ragna admitted as he finally stopped eating. Despite the speed and gusto he'd shown in his feast, he'd managed to eat without spilling a single crumb or making a complete mess of the table (he wasn't about to let it go to waste with how hungry he was), merely stacking the plates and bowls he'd eaten upon. "So… there's supposed to be a ball at the Mutsuki manor tonight for the _Holy Horizon_ tournament and I don't have a way out of it."

"So you need to head to a ball tonight," Eric noted as he looked over his friends new physique. "It's going to be hard to get a outfit for you on such short notice with your… growth spurt."

"I'll be talking to Marian about it after I'm done eating," Ragna promised him. "I just hope she doesn't go too overboard on whatever I decide to wear."

"You might not have a choice, you know how she gets when she's dressing you up," Emily reminded him with a snarky smirk. "So… are we going to be seeing you with those frilly ruffles again?"

"Maybe… or maybe I'll have her put mine on your dress," he grunted before he resumed eating as the serving girl brought out another plate.

"Don't you dare," she growled before realizing. "Wait, what do you mean _my_ dress?"

"...I'm supposed to bring someone to ball," Ragna told her reservedly. "So you're coming with me tonight."

"Are you kidding me?" Emily growled. "I'm not putting on a stupid dress to go to a stupid ball hosted by that pervert!"

"Emily go… needs to," Silvana told her. "Ragna trusts."

"Well, yeah he trusts me, but…" Emily tried to reject, but to no avail as everyone seated at the table stared at her with hopeful eyes. "I… That dress better not make me look like a storybook princess."

"You'll have to tell that to Marian," Ragna muttered. "I just hope this doesn't wipe out the rest our funds. Renting a suit out might get expensive."

"Work soon," Silvana agreed before suggesting; "Bounty Hunts?"

"Yeah, that might be a good way to grab some quick cash," Ragna agreed. "When we get back to _Fortune's Step Inn_ we should check to see if they're offering any jobs we can take. As for right now we should just worry about tonight and focus on taking care of Naoto. Sound good?"

"That works for today," Eric agreed as the serving girl brought out the last of Ragna's food from the kitchen. Ragna gave a small nod in thanks before he resumed eating. "I think I'll see if I can hit the training fields again today, maybe I can see if I can get a little more practice in with my axes."

"Practice… With weapon…" the half-elf of the group told the others. "Get stronger… For Ragna."

"Good for both of you, nice to see you're taking this seriously. As for me, I should head over to Marian's cart first chance I get anyways," Ragna agreed. "It'll probably take her all day to fix me up something for the ball, so the sooner we let her know the better… And I'm getting pretty tired of having to walk around shirtless."

"Hey, Ragna?" The Reaper turned his gaze to Naoto who'd been silent up until now. "Can… Can I go with you and Emily to the shop?"

"...If you want kid, you can do whatever you want to really," Ragna told him with a shrug. He didn't know exactly why, but Naoto's smile seemed to brighten at his agreement. Smirking to himself, he started on the last of his enormous meal. "Did I miss anything since… _it_ happened?"

"Not really, the town was in an uproar talking about the mysterious man of blue flames while you were passed out, but now it looks like they're going to be gossiping about a shirtless giant," Eric told him with a small smirk. "Like it or not, you're the talk of the town. Can't wait to see what Aaron's going to have to say when he sees what's happened to you."

"Ugh… Don't remind me," Ragna groaned between his bites. "I didn't want to have to see him less than a week after leaving the village…"

"Aaron's the person you're taking me to see right?" Naoto asked, trying to make conversation. "What's he like?"

"He's a character," the ex-Reaper told him without humor. "Half the damn time you see him it's impossible to tell what he's thinking. The other half…"

"The other half of the time Ragna's clearly in trouble," Emily told Naoto before smiling. "Big time."

"Don't act so innocent, you were usually the one that got me into trouble in the first place," Ragna muttered. "Then again it might be because of Aaron, he always was hard on me…"

"Even before I got to the orphanage?" Eric asked with a smirk. "I still don't know how you two managed to live with each other without either of you going crazy."

"You grew up in the orphanage?" Naoto asked Ragna as he finished off the last of his food.

"Yeah, guess I never told you," he admitted. "Up until three days ago I lived in the orphanage all my life, now I'm on the road just cause I wanted to strike out on my own."

"...Why were you part of the orphanage?" Naoto asked, trying to be careful. Ragna couldn't help but notice that the Inn had started to grow quite. Apparently the young boy wasn't the only one hoping to hear about the mystery man's past.

"I'll tell you some other time," Ragna promised as he stood to leave and everyone at his table shortly followed suit. "When we're not surrounded by people who can't mind their own damn business."

"Be sure you come back soon," the serving girl called as he opened the door. Knowing that the only reason she was treating him better than she had the day prior because he'd become something of a town idol, he didn't bother acknowledging her.

"Some people, huh?" Emily told him as they walked outside and split up. Eric and Emily headed back to the training field while Ragna, Emily, and Naoto headed out to find Marian. "So… what do you think you'll be wearing tonight?"

"Tough to say honestly," Ragna told her. "We're not giving Marian much notice and it's going to be hard for her to make something after I've grown like this. My guess is my outfits probably going to be pretty basic… Meanwhile yours-"

"Let's not talk about that," Emily told him with a scowl, leaving Ragna to merely chuckle to himself.

"Come on, get used to idea at least," he told her with one of his classic smirks. 'Who knows, maybe you'll end up looking really good in a dress."

"Yeah, so I can try to act _pretty_ and _dignified_ and _oh so submissive_ ," the red head sarcastically agreed. "Trust me, the only reason I'm going is because I don't think you'd be able to get through the dances without me."

"Sad but true," Ragna had to agree. "Looks like we've found Marian's cart."

The clothing seller was outside, just finishing a sale with a young lady who'd bought one of the cheaper dresses that she'd made herself. Marian was smiling to herself after making a successful sale before she glanced over to the group and her gaze landed on Ragna. Like most people she spent a good few seconds staring at the ex-Reaper and the change in his physique, but once she was over her initial shock she marched over to Ragna with _fire_ in her eyes.

"What's wrong with-?" Ragna barely started before Marian jabbed a gloved finger in his face, causing him to freeze with his own surprise.

"You've got to be kidding me," the blonde said with clear aggravation in her words. A worried Naoto decided it would be best if he hid behind Emily. "I finally manage to find the _perfect_ suit for you; the perfect one as a trial for your request… And you pull something like this on me."

"...If it helps I didn't really have much of a choice," Ragna told her, not able to look her in the eye.

"It doesn't," the merchant snapped. "So… you need new clothes I'm guessing."

"Yeah, but I'm actually going to need a suit for tonight," he told her. "There's a ball tonight hosted by the Mutsuki's and I'm going to cause trouble if I'm not there, so..."

"Tonight? I've got until tonight to get you something to wear?" Marian questioned as she glared at Ragna.

"...Is now a bad time to mention that we also need to rent a dress for Emily?" Ragna asked nervously. Marian didn't say anything as she continued to glare at him, only grabbing his arm and forcing him to follow her behind her stall. "Hey…"

"Both of you, there's a silk shop and clothes shop a couple of streets down that way; I want you to go there and tell whoever's inside that I'm going to need their help to get this idiot ready," she ordered Emily and Naoto and the two ran off. "Here's what I can do for you; you'd said that you wanted a red jacket earlier. I can make one for you, but it's not going to be my best work."

"Really?" Ragna questioned. "What's going to be wrong with it?"

"Nothing's going to be _wrong_ with it; it's just going to be very plain. Minimal padding and a lack of any insignias or accessories… You don't have anything else to wear, do you?"

"It's hard to find something my size," Ragna told her honestly.

"So we'll have to come up with some clothing to but on underneath. This won't exactly be of _nobility_ quality, but you can continue to wear it after the ball," Marian explained as she got out a few long pieces of string and started using them to measure Ragna's body portions. "Any particular color you want for the clothes beneath your jacket?"

"Black," Ragna told her immediately. "And can you make the pants looser towards my legs? I'm going to need them like that for when I fight."

"I'll see what I can do, I'm going to need a lot of silk to work with your recent growth spurt. I'm just glad I have some favors here I can call in."

"How much is this going to cost anyways?" the ex-Reaper asked nervously. "We… we're kind of low on coin right now…"

"Then I'll just have to collect from you another time, won't I?" Marian told him as she continued to measure him. "Hold still."

"Not a good idea honestly," Ragna explained to her. He wanted his coat (hell, he'd wanted it since he lost his old one) but he still felt that he needed to be truthful to the merchant. "Look, tomorrow I need to start heading back to my village so I can drop Naoto off, and there's no telling when we'll see each other next time."

"Then I'll just have to wait until then," Marian told him plainly as he continued to measure him. "Go and flex for me so I can make sure I'm leaving enough room."

"Fine, but are you really sure this is a good idea? You're putting a lot of faith that I'll be able to pay you back."

"Then I'll have to put that faith in you," she told him before smiling. "I heard about what you did yesterday… I can believe in a person like that, just like that kid you're taking with you does."

"Your loss," he muttered only earning a giggle from Mirian.

"You'll probably want to see me later and add to your coat when you do finally come into money," she told him. It was then that the people that she'd sent Emily and Naoto to grab returned; a young lady around Ragna's age and a more elderly woman, both carrying a basket full of silks and different types of cloth. "Thanks for coming both of you, we're going to have quite the project on our hands if we're going to make him presentable for tonight. Lot of him to cover you know."

"Good grief," Ragna grumbled, earning a bit of laughter from the three ladies.

 _ **Sometime Later**_

"Well, what do you think lad?" the older woman asked as the three admired their work on a fully clothed Ragna.

"...It's good to be back," the silver haired youth said with confident smirk.

While he was the only one that understood the impact of his words, he truly felt like his old self once more. His outfit might not've been much to look at yet with its lack of accessories, he still had the basic look down. A crimson coat that went down to his thighs and even had a bit of a more defined collar collar like he used to have. His clothes beneath were a solid black instead of his regular hakama clothing with its white pattern, but the shade was perfect. His pants were done right as well, expanding outwards as they went further down his legs and stopping close to his shins. Despite trying to maintain his moody complexion, Ragna honestly couldn't stop smiling.

"Jeeze, I can't remember the last time I saw you this happy," Marian commented, smiling herself only because her client's happy complexion was contagious. "Looks like you knew what you wanted. Anyways we can all see that you look good, but how does it feel on you?"

"Great overall," Ragna told her. "The coat does feel a little loose on me though."

"That was on purpose," the young merchant that had helped explained. "That way you'll be able to find some armor to wear beneath without straining or stretching out the coat."

"You three really though of everything, didn't you?" Ragna asked. "Well...thanks, this really means a lot to me."

"Genuine happiness and a heartfelt thanks? Who are you and what've you done to the moody orphan I used to know?" Marian asked him with a small giggle. "I think I saw Emily taking that kid you were with to that book shop over there. Why don't you grab her so we can help fit her into a dress?"

"Doesn't it seem a little early for that?" Ragna questioned. "I mean, I don't think the sun's going to start setting for a good while."

"More time to find her the perfect dress," Marian explained. "Now go find her, I can't wait to see what kind of dresses I can get her into."

' _Yare yare daze_ ,' Ragna thought to himself as he grabbed sheathed sword and headed into the shop. ' _Here's to hoping that she's not stuck with Marian until the party actually starts._ ' Heading into the store he found shelves upon shelves of books. Looking around he saw Emily sitting at a table with Naoto as she read to him. ' _Weird, I don't remember her ever learning to read._ '

Upon closer inspection it made more sense, while Emily wasn't reading to Naoto she was helping him by looking through the different pictures of the book. Most of the pages contained plants that could be found in the wild and could be used in remedies or other forms of medicine. Ragna had figured that the kid would be bored, but was surprised to see that he at least appeared to be paying attention.

"Hey guys," he said to them both, announcing his presence. He smirked happily as he noticed the brief stare that they gave to his new attire. "Looks good, right?"

"Y-yeah," Emily said to him. "How much is Marian charging for that?"

"For right now nothing, so let me be the one to worry about that," Ragna explained. "Anyways, she's going to help fit you into one of her dresses to wear to the ball."

"...I guess there's no way out of this," Emily said with a groan. "You've got Naoto then?"

"Yeah, I'll keep my eye on him for a bit," Ragna promised as she returned the book to its proper shelf and headed to see the silk merchant. "Just let Marian do her job, it'll be easier on everyone that way."

"No frills!" she promised him, leaving Ragna to roll his eyes before he left the shop with his new charge.

 _Somewhere to Start_

"So… anything you wanted to do?" Ragna asked Naoto as the two walked through the streets of the town. "It's getting close to lunchtime so we could go grab some food if you want, or we could walk around town."

"Can I ask you something?" Naoto questioned nervously.

"Technically you just did, but go ahead," Ragna told him as the two continued to walk side by side.

"I… When I was in the goblin cave and you were there I didn't see anything-" he began.

"Hey, hey, let's not think about that," the ex-Reaper tried to keep him from going there. "What happened in there… well, the less we talk about that the better."

"It's not that," Naoto told him. "I mean I didn't see how you fought. I heard things, but I didn't know someone had come to save me… Then when we got to the training yard I saw how you fought… So I was wondering…"

"You want me to teach you how to use a sword," Ragna guessed earning a small nod from Naoto. He gave a small sigh. "Look, I'm not the guy to go to for lessons. You'd probably be better off learning from Zeus or even Kagura."

"But… I really wanted to learn from you," Naoto begged him, leaving Ragna to let out an exasperated breath. "Come on, please?"

"Alright, alright, I can try teaching you a few of the basics. Just don't expect to be a master overnight," he told Naoto. He saw the smile grow on the youth's face and tried to tell himself that he was doing the right thing. "Come on, let's head to the barracks and see if the guards will let us use it."

"Alright!" Naoto said, trying to show his eagerness and energy.

As fate would have it, the guards of Trudalla were rather understanding of Ragna's situation; "anything for a comrade of Kagura's" they had told him. Eric and Silvana were using the training fields themselves, but he let them train themselves so that he could focus solely on training Naoto. He'd grabbed two practice blades for the two of them to use. A basic longsword for himself and a slightly smaller shortsword for his apparent apprentice.

"The sword feels good, not too heavy?" Ragna questioned as Naoto held the practice sword in both of his hands. The youth nodded at the question while he did his best to keep the sword steady with his non-muscular arms. "Alright, start by taking a swing at me. Don't bother worrying about me; block or take the hit I'll be fine."

Naoto nodded and sent a slash at Ragna. the ex-Reaper could see the poor execution of the slash as blade almost didn't even reach him for as close as he was standing to Naoto. The attack had some speed to be sure, but the child was completely off balance as Ragna blocked the strike with ease. Remembering back to when he was learning swordwork from Jubei, Ragna thought out how to help Naoto's form.

"Alright, first thing is you swung too hard and it threw your balance off. This is just training, you're trying to get the form right, not break my bones." Naoto nodded. "Second, your hands are gripping your sword the wrong way; they shouldn't be together like that or you'll lose your grip on the blade, try keeping a bit apart." Naoto adjusted to Ragna's instruction. "Good, keep your legs a bit more apart and bend your knees slightly, that'll help you stay on balance. Try it again."

The young Naoto nodded his head and swung once more at Ragna. Again the blow was blocked by the older fighter, but at least this time Naoto managed to keep his balance. Ragna gave a small nod of encouragement before he continued to tutor Naoto. The two stuck with their training for the next few hours, Naoto making more improvement under his tutelage than Ragna thought he would.

"Well, that's the basics at least," Ragna told Naoto as he returned his longsword to the weapons rack. "Late to ask, but why did you want to learn how to use that thing in the first place?"

"I… I want to be able to do the things that you can do…" Naoto told him nervously. "When my town was attacked, you saved me and the other people who were hiding. I… I want to be able to save someone when they need me too..."

"That so?" Ragna began before chucking to himself. "Well if you that's your goal I'd say you're already on your way there, kid."

"Really?" the brown haired youth asked with hopeful eyes.

"Yeah, just give it some time and practice what I taught you and you'll go far enough… promise," the ex-Reaper promised him with a calming smile.

"Right," Naoto told him with a half-hearted happy face.

' _Funny,_ ' Ragna thought as he looked at his charge. ' _Back when I lost my arm and home I hid behind revenge and swearing all the damn time… But Naoto's fighting to smile and just wants to be sure that no one has to go through what he did… He's a good kid…_ '

 _1st Rank Partnership Obtained with Naoto_

"And here I thought you didn't teach," Eric told Ragna as the axe user and Silvana approached the two. "We could've saved ourselves a bit of money if you'd just bothered to teach us."

"I was just trying to show Naoto here a bit of the basics; you guys were supposed to get the lessons from Zeus that actually count," Ragna told them. "Plus you three were holding your own yesterday."

"Come on, we all know that if you were using any of that blue magic or your new body we wouldn't have lasted," Eric reminded. "We've improved, but we've still got a ways to go if we're ever going to amount to anything.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, you're catching up quickly enough," Ragna azure them before remembering. ' _That's right; I haven't tested out my Azure_ _when I'm like this,_ ' he thought to himself before looking at the sky and realizing he wouldn't have the time as the sun was starting to set. "Anyways, I gotta grab Emily. That damn parties going to be starting soon and it'll be trouble if I'm late."

"Need coins… for food," Silvana told him. "Emily… keeps money."

"Right, well take this then," Ragna said as he fished both the platinum and gold coin out of his pocket and tossed them to his friends. Eric caught the coins out of the air, but was startled when Ragna pointed an index finger right on his forehead. "You're in charge so no drinking, got it?"

"Fine, I got it," Eric promised as he pocketed the coins. "Take care of yourself, there's no telling what that place is going to be like."

"It's a _ball_ , I'm not going to a battlefield," Ragna told him before shaking his head. "Kind of wish I was, at least then I'd have a pretty good idea of what I'm supposed to do."

"Well you could always try doing what I did whenever my family hosted this sort of thing," Eric began. "Stay out of sight and make yourself as scarce as you can."

"Yeah… kind of doubting that I can make myself scarce when I'm this tall," Ragna muttered as he turned and started walking off to find the huntress. "See you later."

"Um…" Silvana began behind him, leaving Ragna to turn and gaze at her in expectancy. "N-Nice jacket…" she eventually told him.

"Oh… thanks," he said in return before hurrying off.

 _ **Later -Marian's Cart-**_

"Weird, there's no one watching the shop," Ragna thought aloud as he approached Marian's cart. "Marian you here? Emily?"

"Not very chivalrous to keep a lady waiting," he heard the silk merchant comment from within her wagon. Ragna rolled his eyes as Marian exited. "So, ready to brush elbows with the high life of nobility?"

"As I'll ever be," Ragna admitted with a reluctant sigh. "Where's Emily?"

"Inside, refusing to come out," Marian told him with a giggle. "My acquaintances and I didn't finish our work on her that long ago, but she refuses to be seen."

"...Talk about a pain," Ragna muttered as he headed to the cart's entrance and opened the flaps. "Emily, don't be so upti-"

 _ **WHACK!**_

"OW!" Ragna yelped as he was struck on his forehead before being he was forced outside the cart with a powerful push. "The hell was that for!?"

"You're not seeing me until I want to be seen!" she shouted from within.

"Well it's time to go," he told her before groaning. "Maybe I should've just taken Silvana with me…" he muttered to himself.

"That was an option!?" Emily shouted causing Ragna to blanch while Marian simply continued to giggle. "Then why did you want me to come?!"

"...Honestly, you were the first person I thought of when Kagura told me I should to bring someone," he told her solemnly. "Look, if you really want to skip out on this go ahead, I'll just tell Kagura it was short notice or some shit."

"...Promise me you won't laugh," Emily begged from inside.

"Why would I?" Ragna questioned. His only response was his friend's silence. "You're acting weird, but alright. _I promise that I won't laugh._ "

"Or stare."

" _Or stare…_ "

"Or-"

"Are we going to start heading out or not?" Ragna questioned, starting to lose his patience. At last Emily finally came out of the cart. "Was that really so hard?"

"Shut up you…" she demanded, not looking at Ragna in the eye. She was dressed in a medieval _Chemise_ , a dress made of a very fine material and dyed a light turquoise on skirts fabric. Around her waist was a cobalt dyed leather belt called a _Corroie_ and she had a pair of light brown fabric _Sollars_ on her feet. Instead of a ponytail like it usually was, Marian had restyled her crimson hair into twin buns on the sides of her head. "So… How do I look?"

"...I'll keep Kagura away from you tonight," Ragna told her bluntly.

"I-Idiot! I was being serious!" she yelled at him.

"And I wasn't?" He sighed. "Let's go."

"Hold on just a second," Marian stopped the two as she took out a strange vial. "This is the final touch. A small mixture that will have you smelling like the nobles do. It's the caravan's personal brew, so it's sure to turn a few heads."

' _That wording worries me,_ ' Ragna though as he took the mixture and applied a small amount to his hand. It didn't smell bad, in fact it smelt like... "...Roses."

"Just like them, right?" Marian said with a smile. "Go on and put it on."

"...Right," Ragna said as he slowly applied the stuff to his face while his mind wandered. ' _Rachel…_ '

' _I… I want… to… see… you... again...'_ '

' _What the hell am I thinking? Even if she is here, it won't be the Rachel that I used to know. And if by some miracle I could meet the 'old' her, she wouldn't remember me... I made sure of that._ '

"Jeeze, you act like you're in your own little world sometimes," Marian commented with a roll of her eyes. "Hey, leave that sword of yours behind. You won't need it where you're going and bringing it with you will just cause trouble."

"I hope you're right," he said, reluctantly handing the blade over before turning to Emily who had just finished applying the rose perfume. "You ready to go?"

"Honestly? No."

"...That makes two of us then," Ragna said, giving a small smile to try and brighten the mood as best he could. Emily tried herself and gave her best smile. "Come on, let's give 'em hell."

"Right," she agreed as the two made their way towards the Mutsuki manor.

"Hey! You're supposed to hook your arms together!" Marian called after them.

"FAT CHANCE!" they called back in unison attracting a odd few gazes from the passing townspeople.

The walk to the mansion was a short one. Outside they found a few carriages carrying nobles that were arriving from the nearby lands in honor of the tournament. As they made their way up the steps they were approached by two of the guards, who then recognized Ragna.

"I thought it was just rumors, but what happened to you was real," one of them commented. "And this is your lady here?"

"...Yeah, let's go with that," Ragna decided as Emily blushed at the phrasing. "So we're just supposed to head inside?"

"Yes, but Lord Kagura wants to see you first thing. He's waiting inside," the second one told them as he gestured inside. "Enjoy the party."

"Yeah, I will." ' _I can try to at least._ ' Walking side by side the two entered the mansion and saw Kagura along with his sister and parents all greeting a noble family that was visiting. Upon seeing Ragna and Emily enter he excused himself and headed over to the two. At first Ragna was slightly peeved that Kagura had made a big deal about formal wear while the _Black Gale_ dressed in his regular attire, but then decided he'd likely be using that same logic himself soon enough.

"You shaped up nicely," he complimented Ragna before turning to Emily. "Nice dress." It was a short and blunt compliment, something that neither of the two had been expecting from him. "Follow me."

"Alright," Ragna said as the two followed Kagura into the mansion. _'So he wants to talk business.'_

"Now's a good chance to give you a heads up on who's who here. All of the important guests have already arrived, the rest are just plain nobility."

"Nobility still sounds pretty important," the ex-Reaper told him. ' _Well, by a normal person's standards anyways; I don't give a shit one way or the other._ '

"Nobility that was already disqualified from the tournament. I'm showing you our opponents for the next round," Kagura explained as they walked. He then gave a small smirk. "So, Emily then?"

"What about it?" Ragna answered with a glare.

"Nothing, just taking note," the _Black Gale_ responded with whimsy.

"Whatever," he grumbled in return. "Who the hell did you bring anyways?"

"No one, I've got guard duty tonight," he responded seriously.

"You're the son of the governor and they're putting you outside?" Emily questioned. "What, did you misbehave for flirting too much?" Kagura didn't respond.

' _No, I think he's in charge of making sure no one gets close to his sister,'_ Ragna guessed in his mind as they approached the ballroom. Already several of the nobles were in the room gossiping amongst each other as butlers and maids served hors d'oeuvre and drinks. "So, who are we keeping our eyes out for?"

"The first two are byfar the most important; _Prince Dante Escarleon Trudarian_ and _Princess Esther Regalia Trudarian_ ," Kagura said as he directed Ragna's gaze to young boy and girl. They were both dressed in regal brown clothing, but they also had a breastplate on their chests, gold tinted for Dante and silver for Esther. Their hair was an odd shade of violet yet they appeared to be fully human. Their eyes were a dull grey and their demeanors was overall pleasant as the princess talked amongst a large group of nobles that had gathered around the two while the prince remained silent.

"Which of them's next in line for the throne?" Emily questioned.

"That's what we're here to find out," Kagura told him. Noticing their confusion, Kagura glanced around to make sure they weren't in earshot before continuing. "When the two were born the Queen had a… difficult delivery. A spell casting assassin dressed as a midwife, infiltrated the castle, killed any witnesses, and trapped herself within the birthing chambers in an attempt to execute the Queen and her children. What she hadn't counted on was the Queen's ability as a spellcaster; even in her vulnerable state she managed to slay the assassin and gave birth to her twin children without outside help."

"...That's pretty badass," Ragna couldn't help but admit. "What's it got to the who's next in line though?"

"Well… For as amazing as she was, she was completely dazed after the pregnancy and the king and the rest of his soldiers only entered after she'd given birth to both children… No one could truly say which child was born first."

"And that caused problems," Ragna guessed. "Kind of surprised this is still up for debate; I thought that the kingdom would've made the boy next in line just because they wanted a King."

"It's not that simple; tradition dictates that whoever is born first whether they be male or female is entitled to the throne. No exceptions. That's why they're hosting this tournament; the sibling that does better in the tournament's final round will become the next leader of the kingdom." Kagura then narrowed his eyes. "But I think something's up..."

"What makes you say that?" Emily had to ask.

"They're only thirteen years old; this tournament was supposed to begin _after_ they turned sixteen. Someone wanted it done sooner." Kagura shook his head. "But that's neither here nor there, just be especially careful of those two; they've quite literally been training all of their lives for this."

"I'll keep it in mind," Ragna promised. "Who else is there?"

"There's a minor nobles son _Aleol Solt_ , the oldest of us here. He's got strong magic, but he's not going to be that big of a problem." Kagura directed Ragna to a bald elven noble who was dressed in blue robes. He simply closed his eyes and smiled contently while he listened to people talked around him with his pointed ears. "Fourth is _Elizabeth Edgeworth_. She's a descendant of powerful family of warriors and doesn't like to mince words." Elizabeth was a tall, thick armed, and broad shouldered young woman with short brown hair. There was no crowd of nobles around her, obviously due to the constant scowl she wore upon her face and the glare she sent with her deep orange eyes. "And last but not least is-"

"Her," Ragna said with absolute confidence. Kagura followed Ragna's line of sight to who he was looking at.

"...Do you know her?" he questioned, seeing further evidence of Ragna's strange access to select information.

"...No, just a guess," Ragna lied.

"...Well, you're right," Kagura eventually told him. " _Tsubaki Yayoi_ , Heir to Govern Sunflora when she comes of age. She's a scary one; her family has close enough ties to the churches that she could have gone to the third round without debate, but instead she chose to take the tournament in full… And she got through the first round flawlessly. She uses a mix of dagger and shield tactics along with powerful light magic." Kagura then noticed that Ragna hadn't taken his gaze off her. "Heh, I guess you're really into red-heads then."

 _ **WHACK**_

"Ouch," Kagura muttered as he rubbed his jaw.

"Shut up you damn idiot," Ragna grumbled heatedly as he tore his gaze away from Tsubaki. ' _She's here too… Damn, she one person I REALLY didn't want to see here.'_ He then noticed an entourage of young ladies heading towards them. "Looks like you've got your fanclub here."

"A few of the members at least," Kagura told him cockily.

"Kagura, you liar," one of the girls called him out, yet it was clear to Ragna that she was happy to see him and this was just mild flirting. "I thought you told me that you had to greet everyone at the front."

"Me a liar? Never," the _Black Gale_ said with confidence. "If I was a liar I couldn't say that each of your are the splitting image of a goddess."

"You charmer!" another girl said with a bright blush upon her face, apparently already wooed by him. Ragna rolled his, no matter where he went this side of Kagura was blatantly apparent. "Who's this?"

"Girls this is Ragna, Ragna this is…" Kagura was about to continue, but decided against it. "Aw who am I kidding? You'll never remember any of their names." The noble ladies all giggled at this.

"Hilarious," the ex-Reaper said with great sarcasm as he headed off with Emily, the girls staying behind to converse with the Heir to Trudala. "Looks like we're stuck here for a bit."

"What are we supposed to do until then?" Emily asked him. "This is a bit different from the harvest festival."

"...I guess we could try her way," Ragna suggested as he glanced over to the still glaring Elizabeth Edgeworth. "Come on, if she doesn't shove us off maybe she'll be the only one we need to deal with tonight."

"That sounds like a stretch, but I guess we might as well," Emily agreed as they slowly made their way across the room, trying their best to avoid whatever nobility they could. As the approached to young warrior woman, her harsh glare was then directed squarely at the two of them.

"What do you want?" she asked with the aggression in her tone clear as day.

"Figured if we were going to be miserable here we might as well find the one person that hates to be here as much as we do," Ragna admitted. "That and you seem to have a talent for keeping everyone else away."

"You're overstepping your bounds and you act pretty rude to boot," Elizabeth told him be smirking harshly. "I like it. So you're the so called _Blue Flamed Man_ that I've started to hear word of."

"Not another damn nickname," Ragna groaned. "First _Boar Killer_ now this… It's a damn pain in the ass."

"Then keep fighting until you find a title you could actually stand to go by," Elizabeth told him. "It's what I had to do; I wasn't about to go down in my family history as _The Arm Breaker_."

' _Arm Breaker?_ ' Ragna thought to himself with slight worry. _'Whose arms did she have to break to earn that title?_ '

"So, what do you go by now?" Emily asked.

"A few at the moment; _Axe Mistress_ is my personal favorite though. Most men don't expect to see a woman wielding a battleaxe, but I make sure that it's something that they remember."

"I'll bet," Ragna noted, making sure he'd remember it if they ever had to fight in the future.

"Come now, this is just a simple gathering. Can't we save the strategies for another time?" another voice asked. Turning to face the voice, Ragna saw the elven noble named Aleol standing behind him with his eyes still closed. "Though I must saw I'm surprised; few people here would even consider standing near Elizabeth, let alone talk to her upfront."

"Then that just means that these two have some actual spine," Elizabeth grunt in response.

"Indeed," the elf said with a warm smile, yet his eyes remained closed. "Best of luck in the tournament, you'll have quite the challenge with Elizabeth and myself teaming up."

' _So that's one team already decided for the second round,_ ' Ragna thought to himself as Aleol walked off. _'Kagura's trying to get me on his side and the Prince and Princess are probably going to team up themselves… So that leaves Tsubaki. I wonder if she could be teamed up with…'_

The temperature in the room hadn't changed, but Ragna felt himself grow colder as he thought about the possible partner for the Yayoi heir. While this world had many mysteries that had yet to be solved, one of the few that truly had applied to him was who had given birth to him. He hadn't considered that Jin might be here… but if he was, were the two still brothers or was there something else going on? He was snapped out his thoughts as a sudden silence fell over the nobility in the room as the prince and princess stood before the glass doors to the balcony.

"It is a genuine pleasure to be here with all of you as we celebrate the first round of the _Holy Horizon_ _tournament_ ," Prince Dante told the crowd. Despite his young age, he spoke to the crowd with confidence and clarity. "I'd like to thank the Mutsuki family for hosting this event and congratulate Kagura on being selected for the second round of the tournament." The nobles gave a short round of applause for in response, as did Ragna begrudgingly.

"Also here of course is Elizabeth Edgeworth _the Axe Mistress_ along with Aleol Solt _the Silent Mage,_ " Princess Esther then followed, very much the same way as her brother. "And of course, young Lady Tsubaki Yayoi who we fully expect to meet in the final round. Any church would be blessed by the gods above to have her represent them." There was cheering at that last comment, apparently Tsubaki was a favorite to win though she herself merely smiled and waved at the comment appreciation.

"And lastly tonight, we also have the enigmatic _Blue Flamed Man_ here with us," the princess again continued as her eyes fell upon Ragna. The ex-Reaper didn't avert his gaze, nor did he say anything as he locked eyes with both the prince and the princess. "...Thank you." Those last two words earned gasps from all of the nobility and whispers from all around, even Kagura who had thought he had tonight all figured out looked surprised.

"Upon arriving here tonight we heard of your valiant deeds in Liette and struggles that you fought through for the sake of the town from Kagura himself," the crowned prince explained in a refined manner as Ragna glared at his _friend_ for saying too much. "For what you've done to protect our kingdom and its residences where others could not, we thank you." Ragna then noticed that all of the nobles had their eyes on him, expecting him to respond to their words.

"...I just did what I could," he said bluntly before he noticed that Tsubaki herself seemed to be staring at him from across the room.

"Such modesty," Esther said with a warm smile. Ragna wasn't sure if he should take it as a compliment. "Let the ball begin."

 _ **Author's Note (CONTEST):**_

 _ **I don't own anything… AND THIS CHAPTER TOOK FOREVER!**_

 _ **Alright, a couple of things to go over. First off, last chapter. I've gotten a few messages about my chapter's similarities to Goblin Slayer and my response is this.**_

 _ **...I hadn't even heard of it until the chapter was put out.**_

 _ **I'm serious, I was trying to base this on something from the manga Berserk, which in my opinion is still one of the best dark manga's to date (even with the constant Hiatus). I did try reading Goblin Slayer to give it a shot and… NO, just no…**_

 _ **Anyways, a lot happened this chapter and I'd actually wanted to do more, but I'll cover that next chapter.**_

 _ **Alright, now for the contest. The name Pandora tried to tell Ragna**_ _ **(Hklrovih)**_ _ **is actually a word in code. The first THREE people to decipher this code and PM me get to choose a Support Path moving forward in the story. Here are the rules.**_

 _ **There's nowhere else in the story you need to look. Just the word itself.**_

 _ **It's very basic to solve, just find out the formula**_

 _ **All BlazBlue Characters, Emily, Eric, Silvana, Aaron, and Pandora will already have support path's down the line**_

 _ **Be creative with who you could add. You could have it be someone that's already been named in the story, or someone who's only been referred to via adjective. It can even be a group of people (i.e. Ragna's fan club from his home town)**_

 _ **That's all for this chapter. Bloodedge of Fairy Tail is next I swear! Ciao!**_

 _ **Character Relations**_

 _Kagura Mutsuki: 1st Rank_

 _Naoto Kurogane: 1st Rank_

 _ **Town Relations**_

 _Hometown: Revered Member_

 _Fortune's Step Inn: Boar Killer_

 _Trudalla:Begrudging Acceptance~Blue Flamed Man_


	7. Connections Made

_**Blue VI: Connections Made  
**_

"Are we doing this right?" Ragna questioned as he tried to keep one hand on Emily's hip while he used his other hand tried and guide her down the ball room in the middle of their dance. Given the recent boost to his size, he still felt more uncoordinated than usual in his dancing and given the performance he'd put on back in his home village that was clearly saying something. He was almost certain that the real reason that most of the nobility was looking his way wasn't all for the newly formed rumors surrounding him and more to watch him make a fool of himself.

"I'm doing the best I can," Emily hissed at him under her breath. "Maybe if you hadn't grown so much I'd actually be able to dance with you _while_ mimicking what the other nobles are doing."

"Don't pin this on me, you were the one that wanted to dance," the Reaper grumbled to himself.

"People were going to say things about you if you didn't dance at least once."

"They were going to talk anyways, if anything this just gives them more material," Ragna muttered while he nearly stepped on Emily's toes. Quickly adjusting his footing, he managed to instead land on the floor and kept himself from stumbling forward. "Come on, how long is this dance going to go on for?"

"It's just about over, just try to hang in there," came Kagura's familiar voice. Ragna saw the back of the _Black Gale's_ head close-by as he seemed to pass by the two in the middle of his own dance. The Reaper expected to see him with one of the girls from his fan club, so he was surprised to see him dancing with his younger sister while the girls that had rushed over to dance with him were patiently waiting for their turn to dance with the warrior.

' _Even here he's still picking up chicks like crazy...'_ Ragna thought to himself before admitting, ' _Honestly, I think I'd be shocked if it wasn't the case.'_ Just as he thought that, the dance finally came to an end. Ragna mimicked the nobles around him and performed the best bow that he could while Emily curtsied (much to her ire). "Thank god that's over..."

"Which one of them?" Emily questioned. Ragna gave a short chuckle that left his young friend understandably confused. "Anyways, I think I've earned the right to actually eat some of the feast we've been offered. What about you?"

"What? I can't go get some food with you?"

"Not a chance; if you come with me the rest of these nobles are bound to come to both us with their questions, and I don't want to deal with them while I'm eating... not ever really, but least of all when I'm eating."

"Sounds like I'm being told to get lost," Ragna said as he scratched the back of his head, a sheepish smile on his face.

"Just make sure you don't leave without me," Emily told him with a sly smile as she headed off for the banquet tables.

"Tempting offer," the Reaper muttered to himself as he tried to figure out something he could do to avoid and connections from the nobles or... glancing over his shoulder he caught sight of Tsubaki Yayoi, the young lady was busy talking to a group of nobility. While the nobles seemed to be in a somewhat jovial mood (often chuckling hardly or making exaggerated gestures with their hands) Tsubaki remained very calm, refrained, and dignified. Taking his eyes away, he headed to the other end of the room where he saw Eliza Edgeworth standing with a great intimidating glare to ward off conversation.

 _Brought Up A Noble; Trained A Warrior_

"You're not out dancing," Ragna examined aloud as he approached her.

"And look as foolish as you did on the ballroom floor? I'd rather lose two of my fingers," she told him while keeping her scowl up.

"Ouch, was I really dancing that badly?" Ragna questioned without humor.

"Worse." The Reaper crossed his arm and raised an eyebrow at the noble woman. "That girl you were with did alright though... considering what she had to work with."

"Tch, so Emily gets all the credit... Well if I was dancing so badly, why don't you try to do better?"

"Because any other man here would be to petrified to dance with the likes of me?" Ragna considered telling the smug warrior woman that Kagura would look past any glare she'd send his way, but decided to remain quiet... 'other' though. "So you're also trying to escape an evening where you're forced to stand on ceremony?"

"Pretty much," he admitted before sighing and glancing at Tsubaki who was still surrounded by chattering nobles. "Unlike some people I barely have any patience for these things."

"That makes two of us... then again it almost didn't turn out that way. I only started my training two years ago."

"Two years and you're already able to make it to the second round of the tournament," Ragna said, mildly impressed. "That must have been brutal."

"You don't know the half of it, that's what you get coming from the Edgeworth family, they've created some of the greatest warriors ever heard of in any of the kingdoms, most of 'em men, but we've got a few well known warrior women in our heritage. One of them was actually made a paladin lord about a century ago. Now they've got me."

"Guess so," Ragna said laxly as he watched the other nobles mingle and dance. "So why'd you become a warrior in the first place? I'm guessing it was cause you couldn't stand the thought of just being someone's wife."

"That's the common story for most of us, but I was a little different," Eliza admitted as she thought back. "Truth was I'd actually liked some part of being a refined lady; loved the poetry, the dances, even enjoyed embroidering... my problem was I wasn't any good at it."

"Ah," Ragna said. "So you tried out walking down a separate path?"

"I got the suggestion from someone," Eliza said gesturing to her elven partner, Aleol. "I was supposed to show how good I'd become as a cook by making one of our families traditional meals... It didn't go well. Aleol was there and he said something like 'if you can't travel this path, find a different path to follow' or something like that. My father said to listen since he'd been a close friend of my family for generations so he had my uncle start by giving me more intense lessons."

"Well I suppose that's... Wait, generations?" Ragna questioned looking at Aleol. The man didn't look much older than he did.

"What else to you expect from an elf; they can live fer hundreds of years after all," the noble woman told him. Ragna made a mental note to consider that Silvana might be older than he'd thought. "If it hadn't been for him and that insight of his I might still be bumbling around in my house, having to rely on everyone else to pick up after my mistakes. Aleol even promised me that he'd happily be my partner in the second round of the tournament if I was chosen, even though he had no plans to enter himself."

"Oh... And the scowl?" Ragna had to ask.

"Why do you want to know?" Eliza demanded with a slight glare.

"You've told me just about everything else, don't really know why that has to be such a secret," he responded with a passive expression.

"Heh, make it through the second round of the tournament and maybe then I'll feel like telling you," Eliza promised him with a challenging smirk. "Just hope that you don't come across me, you'd probably go out in the first two blows."

"Have to hit me first," Ragna returned, starting to get a better sense of this harsh warrior woman.

 _Partner Rank 1 Establish with Eliza Edgeworth_

"Mind shoving off though?" Eliza asked him, snapping the Reaper out of his thoughts. "If you keep talking to me, most of the nobles might actually get enough spine to approach me themselves."

'G _eeze, what is it with women telling me to get lost tonight?_ ' Ragna thought glumly to himself, but nodded and headed off. As he did so, he noticed that Emily was now eating a plate full of goods that had been offered by the Mutsuki family at tonight's gathering. Figuring he'd leave her to enjoy the food since it wasn't likely she'd get this chance ever again, Ragna headed for the balcony and quickly slipped out trying not to have the doors make a sound as he escaped.

The cool nightly air was a welcome sensation to the Reaper as he made his way forward and leaned against the marble edge of the balcony. Glancing over the side, he took notice of the town of Trudalla below, the town that Kagura's family was responsible for governing. He saw a few light off in the distance from Inn's and Taverns offering food and drinks to their patrons, making Ragna wonder how the others were managing without him. He shook his head, realizing it was pointless to worry about them when he'd only be gone for a few hours. He then heard the door open behind him and, without turning, he let out a long sigh; time to deal with the nobility.

"Mind if I join you?"

Ragna's eyes narrow as he turned to face Tsubaki Yayoi as the young noble closed the door back into the ballroom behind her. The young red-head didn't look that much younger than she'd been back in Ragna's own world, maybe a year or two at most. Her clothing at the moment was the same a it had been back in her home world, a cream colored uniform, the covered all of her body. The only thing missing of it in fact was her strange hat with and open eye on the front, something Ragna could rather do without at the moment.

"If you want," he finally decided before crossing his arms and turning back to lean over the balcony's edge. "Thought you had guests to entertain; from what I saw in there, there should still be people trying to talk your ear off."

"They did still have much to say to me, I simply excused myself to come out here," Tsubaki told him, leaving the Reaper to raise an eyebrow as he turned to face her. "I'm Tsubaki of House Yayoi."

"I heard the introduction," Ragna reminded. "Call me Ragna, and I don't really have a house that I belong to."

"I expected as much, but that's neither here nor there, I was hoping to talk to you... about Liette."

"No offense, but that's something I'd really rather not talk about," Ragna told her, trying to get her to drop the subject, yet Tsubaki was never the type to back down easily.

"You're different than the others then; most warriors would be boasting about the battle that they had won, but I need to ask you something," Tsubaki explained. Ragna didn't respond in the pregnant silence that followed, so the young noble continued. "Many of the people inside speak of the event as proof of your battle prowess, the gods grace being bestowed upon you, or even as a victory for the kingdom itself... but how do you see what happened? ...What was it to you?"

"A massacre," Ragna told her darkly leaving Tsubaki silent. "When I got to the village, there were only a few people left alive... Told me they had carried most of the people off to their cave in order to eat them, so I headed there... Too damn late..."

"I see..." Tsubaki said, indeed sounding sorry. Ragna took a moment to consider her tone; Tsubaki's remorse at the loss of life didn't sound forced or even slightly fake, it seemed genuine towards the people that had been killed in the attack. "Was... was there really no one left in the cave?"

"...There was one kid," Ragna decided to admit. "Only reason he hadn't been killed was because he'd been hidden in one of the corpse piles... He's still haunted by what he saw in there..."

"Do you know what's to become of this boy?" Tsubaki asked Ragna yet again.

"You've got a lot of questions," Ragna noted with a sigh. "Since he doesn't have anywhere else to go, my group's in charge of him until I can get him to someone I can trust to take care of him long term."

"Many people wouldn't have bothered doing that much," Tsubaki told him, making Ragna unsure whether or not she was telling him this to try to provide some form of comfort or even a compliment. "It's a foolish question, but... do you think that there's any justice in this world?"

"Where the hell did that come from? Furthermore, what's it supposed to even mean?" he questioned.

"That's something I'm used to hearing when I ask," Tsubaki admitted with a grimace at Ragna's blunt words. "I always try to tell myself to follow Justice as my code, but I sometimes have difficulty know just what the just thing to do is. Priests often tell me that justice isn't something that mere mere men should know anything about setting Justice, that is something decided by the gods. Their rule is Justice and we are to follow it by how they decree it. Knights on the other hand tell me that justice is following the king's orders and treating them as absolute."

' _Damn. Guess that isn't too different from how she saw the Imperator,'_ Ragna thought as he remembered the Tsubaki from his world. ' _Still, doesn't appear that she's following Justice blindly just yet..._ ' "What about you? What kind of Justice do you want to follow?"

"I... I suppose my type of justice is that of your classic storybook hero," the young noblewoman admitted with a hint of embarrassment, as evident by the slight rise of pink in her cheeks. "Someone who stands against evil, aids those socially beneath them regularly, and protects those she's been charged with protecting with a fierce passion... I've been told countless times that my ideal is something of a foolish dream though."

"Do yourself a favor and don't listen to whoever told you that," Ragna told her as he finally turned to face the young red-head. "Trust me, your form of justice is leagues better than that blind faith that the Priests and Knights told you about. Personally, if I cared for justice it'd easily be the stuff you're thinking of."

"...You're only the second person that's ever agreed with me," Tsubaki told him. Ragna didn't have to ask her who the first had been. "I suppose I should be heading back inside, my father wouldn't want me to keep the other guests waiting for too long."

"Good luck," Ragna told her simply as he went back to leaning against the railing and looking into the city below them. Tsubaki took one last long look at the Reaper before heading back inside the ballroom. ' _Wonder if she's going to turn out the same as last time. I really hope not, that version of the chick could get on my nerves pretty easily with her blind preaching and blaming me for everything._ ' Letting out a sigh, Ragna headed back inside to the ball as he decided it was high time he got himself some of the food being offered.

As soon as he walked back inside however, he saw the several members of nobility approaching him, obviously want to ask him questions for his upcoming role in the _Holy Horizon_ Tournament or describe his exploits in Liette. Ragna sighed and tried to remind himself that if he held his temper and kept his swearing to a minimum he'd still be able to make it out of the night without a problem.

 _ **-The Streets of Trudalla-**_

 _Friends Through It All_

"Finally I'm out of there..." Ragna muttered as he walked down the empty streets of the city. "Those nobles and their questions were starting to annoy the hell outta me. Didn't even manage to grab a piece of food before we left."

"Now you see why I didn't want you to stick around while I ate," Emily told him with a snarky smile. "I managed to get through the night avoiding every noble while tasting some of the best food I've ever had."

"Some of the best eh?" Ragna responded casually. "Guess then you won't be needing any more of my cooking."

"Huh?" Emily began as Ragna's words began to register, her face slowly starting to show horror upon it.

"Well if the food was as good as you're putting it, you must not want my cooking anymore; now you won't need to have any of my beef stew, spit roasted chicken... or even that fish that I always have to prepare especially for you," Ragna told her somewhat sadistically.

"W-well, the food wasn't THAT good, I mean especially compared to yours," Emily tried to correct herself while Ragna chuckled. For all of the things the young huntress claimed that she could hold over Ragna's head, the Reaper knew that he carried the trump card in the form of his cooking. "Jerk..."

"Your fault for not taking cooking lessons with the rest of the girls in the village," Ragna told her, remembering back when the mothers had banded together to try and teach the children of his home village how to cook properly. "You were always out running around in the woods with a sling and rock, like usual."

"Well excuse me from wanting to learn how to hunt," Emily told him with a pout. "Knowing how to cook's not going to do you any good if you can't find the food yourself... And I still refuse to become someone's housewife just to give up hunting."

"Hey, I never said that there was anything wrong with what you were doing, just thought I'd remind you," Ragna told her smugly. "Then again, you did learn quickly; it barely took you a season to learn how to use a bow."

"Something that you never bothered to learn how to do," Emily told him proudly.

"Meh, I prefer being up close and personal," Ragna told her. "Guess that's what makes us an alright team then."

"Once you finally start letting us participate in a fight," she reminded him. "Right now, you've been running off on your own a lot, not letting any of us chip in when we could have."

"Well up until now you haven't had Zeus's training," Ragna reminded her. "We won't have the mercenaries to protect us on the road from here on out, you'd better be careful what you wish for."

"We'll be fine; we all have you to get us through this don't we?" Emily said, actually showing appreciation for Ragna's abilities on a rare occasion. "We're all counting on you Ragna."

"Yeah, yeah," Ragna told her, the faintest of smiles on his face.

 _Partner Rank 1 Establish with Emily_

The two then finally came across Marian attending her cart filled with clothing on the sides of one of the streets where they'd last left her, the clothes merchant looking very confused as the two made their return.

"What are you two doing back out of the ball so soon?" she asked from them while looking up to the manor off in the distance where the music light could still be seen. "The dance looks like it's not going to be finished for a few more hours at least."

"Exactly, you thought we'd have the patience for all of that?" Ragna rhetorically questioned. "Mind giving us our things back?"

"If you insist," Marian told them, sounding more than a tad disappointing. "Did any of the nobles ask about your clothes?"

"None of the nobles or their kids tried talking to Emily, so I doubt anyone was asking about her dress," Ragna admitted as the silk merchant handed him back his bastard sword (which still felt too small for someone of his size). "Maybe one or two at most asked about my clothing, though I'm not sure if they were looking down on it or whatever the hell they wanted to do... Told 'em I got it from you all the same."

"So I'm going to get back less business than I wanted," Marian said with a small sigh. "Oh well, I guess that a risked I played when I decided to rent that dress out for free and collect payments on the jacket."

"Just hope that I finally have enough coin when I next see you," Ragna told her as he re-strapped his sword onto his back. "Speaking of which, since we're heading out of town tomorrow it looks like this is going to be it for a while."

"Aw, you're leaving me? Aw... How will I survive without my favorite model to pose for me in all of my test clothes... is what I'd have said before you decided to go and pull a growth spurt on me," Marian told Ragna as she helped Marian into the cart and began to help change her out of the dress she'd rented. "Looks like I'm going to find a new model for my works then."

' _God help whoever she finds to fill that role,_ " Ragna thought to himself with a downcast expression as he crossed his arms and waited outside. "So where's the caravan headed then?"

"Kenneth says that we're going to be staying here for the next few days at least, after that we're going to try heading south and sell a few of our wares around the smaller farming villages," she told him from inside. "Also, apparently Zeus was trying to find you yesterday. You should probably try to catch him tomorrow before you go."

"I'll see what I can do," Ragna promised, knowing that it would be a full day's journey to get back to _Fortune's Step Inn_ and the group didn't have much money to spare if the mercenary leader had wanted to sell him something. It didn't take long for Emily to get changed, as she soon emerged from the wagon in her familiar hunting leather and her bow strapped behind her. "Better?"

"Much... no offense," she said to Marian who waved it off.

"I know you're not one for dresses... but maybe I could see the two of you dancing with one another one last time?"

"You wish," Ragna grumbled under his breath as he started walking back to the inn with Emily following closely behind him, Marian giving both of them a condescending smile.

 _ **-The Next Morning-**_

"So... we weren't really missing anything?" Eric asked the next morning at breakfast. The entire party of four (five if you include Naoto) was seated early that morning, finally getting a chance to talk about the events the night prior.

"Hardly, just a dance with a bunch of nobles trying to establish status and suck up to each other," Ragna told them.

"Prince there? Princess too?" Silvana asked. "Heard rumor."

"Yeah, they were there," Ragna told them. "Didn't exactly talk to them or anything, but they gave a small speech before everything started... Trust me, it was boring evening, wouldn't have gone if Kagura hadn't told me to."

"Oh," Silvana said, seeming to be a bit happier now that she realized that she hadn't missed anything during the evening.

"So are we leaving for your hometown today?" Naoto asked before taking a large bite from his bowl of porridge.

"That's the idea kid, but for now we're going to focus on getting to _Fortune's Step Inn_ first before going south from there," Ragna explained. "It's probably going to take us all day to get back to the inn on foot, but I think we'll be fine."

"So we're heading out right after you finish your business with Zeus?" Eric asked, seeming to be excited for the trip back home.

"Yeah, that's the idea," Ragna said as he gestured to the front bar.

The mercenary leader was seated there with his own meal and a mug filled with coffee. Ragna then took a large bit out of his own meal which was twice as large as any other meal there. The Reaper suspected that the sudden growth had still left him in need of additional calories so he'd need to eat more before he fully recovered. Not long later, Zeus and he had finished their meals, leading the mercenary to head over to his table.

 _Swordsmen_

" _Boar Killer_ , got a moment?" Zeus asked rather gruffly.

"Not if you keep calling me by that name," Ragna readily responded, starting to get tired of being remembered by Zeus only from his first hunt alone.

"Hah! That's up to how well you're able to help me!" Zeus told him with a gravelly chuckle. Sighing at the display Ragna rose from his seat and gave a small nod to his party, letting them know that he'd meet up with them later. The two then headed out of the bar and walked through the streets of Trudalla.

"So, what was it that you needed help with anyways?" Ragna questioned as the two continued to walk.

"Lessons," Zeus told him simply.

"...I don't have much coin on me to pay you back with," Ragna admitted hesitantly.

"Trust me, I've had to go through more than the occasional hungry night myself for the lack of coin to pay for food," the mercenary told him, thinking back to his earlier days. "But this going to be different, I'm actually going to be teaching the town guard a trick or two about defending themselves and I want you there to help me in the demonstration."

"Alright, but why me?" Ragna asked. "Couldn't you just ask one of your own men to fill in for me?"

"I could... but if you're supposed to be leaving today I might as well send you off with an extra technique to keep yourself safe on the road ahead."

"That's... awfully generous of you," the Reaper told him with an eyebrow raised. "And here I thought mercenaries didn't care for anything but the coin they earned."

"Most of us don't, this is just... let's call it an investment," Zeus said, not exactly assuring Ragna in the way he was phrasing it. "Step up the pace, the recruits are already waiting for us."

"Whatever," Ragna muttered halfheartedly. Not long later the two were in front of a group of younger looking town guardsmen. Each of them was equipped with a wooden practice sword, a leather shield, and basic leather padding as armor.

"Let's try this scenario," Zeus began stroking his beard as he thought over the lesson. "You've been tasked with defending the town against a sudden bandit attack, but your orders are take their leader in alive for interrogation. You find yourself face to face with the leader while your brothers in arms are scattered and fighting off the other bandits. What do you do?"

"Disarm him and hold a sword to his throat," one of the guardsmen said. "Keep 'im from fighting back and end the fighting there."

"'Fraid that's not going to work," Zeus told him sadly. "Most bandit leaders are only in their place because they've proven to be the strongest. Even if you hold a leader with a sword to his throat most of the others will keep fighting. Hard to keep the leader in place if his men will keep up the fighting on his behalf. What else can you do?"

"Injure him within an inch of his life," another suggested. "Leave him on the ground and deal with the rest of the bandits before coming back for him."

"Too risky; too much that could go wrong," Zeus told the recruits as the seasoned warrior shook his head. "You could kill your target, they could bleed out before you interrogate them, you could break their mind with the pain... I've seen it happen. No, there's a much better way to handle this, and perhaps our guest has a thought on what it could be."

' _The hell's he doing putting the spotlight?'_ Ragna thought angrily before realizing that several of the recruits eyes were on him. "...Well, I guess given everything else I'd just knock him unconscious, a quick blow to the head that he wouldn't expect."

"Good, and that's what I'm here to teach the lot of you today. The _Hilt Smash_ technique is as basic as one can get with their sword and it can be a risky one, but if your opponent doesn't see it coming and you can aim it correctly you might be able to manage to bring them down in a single blow.

' _My old sword didn't really have the right hilt to smash it into any of the asshole I fought, but maybe this one could work better,'_ Ragna thought to himself. ' _Might as well see what Zeus has to say, if he can't show me anything new I can always just stick to using my fists._ '

The mercenary leader then used Ragna to help him perform the more basic form of the technique. Simply put, you make for your opponent's side with a regular sword slash, but when they moved to guard, you'd change the grip on your sword and attempt to strike them across the held with the lighter hilt. He also showed ways to turn a blocked or missed attack into a hilt-smash if you were ready for it. Within a few practice attempts on the wooden dummies, Ragna was using it against the town guard like a pro.

"You learn quickly, that could save your life one day," Zeus commended as the guards picked themselves up. "It looks like I'll have to stay with the new trainees for a bit longer, but you should be going. Not good to keep your friends waiting if you want to hit the Inn by sundown."

"It's not too far, but you've got a point. Still, I gotta thank you for your help. This might come in handy down the line."

"If you feel so strongly about that, maybe I'll teach a few more tricks down the road," Zeus promised with a confident smile. "Take care of yourself Ragna, I have the feeling your path ahead is going to be getting only harder from here."

"You might be right, but I guess I'll just have to ready for... Wait, you actually called me by my name for once," Ragna said, a little shocked at that last part.

"Hmm, did you say something _Boar Killer?_ " Zeus asked innocently.

"Damn it; shoulda taken the win," Ragna groaned to himself.

"I'll give you that lesson on the house," Zeus told him with a large bray of laughter. Ragna sheepishly scratched the back of his head and gave a small chuckle.

 _Partner Rank 1 Establish with Zeus of Chains_

Once his business with Zeus had ended Ragna headed to the front gates and saw his friends there waiting for him. Also there was Kagura Mutsuki, his aid Hibiki, and his younger sister (explaining why Kagura wasn't trying to flirt with either of the girls). The _Black Gale_ then took notice of Ragna as he approached.

"Were you trying to leave without saying goodbye?" Kagura asked somewhat smugly.

"Nah, figured you'd have been busy with entertaining your guests," Ragna told him.

"Being here to see you off gives us a few short moments of peace," Kagura told him with a sigh while his sister only nodded sadly beside him. Hibiki, of course, remained silent. "Trust me, soooo many people are trying to get on my good list just because I'm showing potential for the tournament.

"Do they even know you lost to me?" Ragna asked, earning a glare from his apparent partner. "Well do they?"

"I don't think they've been specifically told," the _Black Gale_ admitted. "Then again, I guess that got most of the attention off of you."

"Hey, I can live with it then," Ragna admitted somewhat smugly. "Best of both worlds."

"Heh, if you say so," Kagura admitted. "So... about the second round. I know you're not fully resolved to go the entire tournament, but can I at least count on you there?"

"Yeah, I can guarantee you that much," Ragna promised. "Any idea when or where it's going to be held?"

"When's something I just don't idea of given the fact this could take awhile to organize, though knowing how they're going to treat this, I think it's unlikely you'd never hear of the event. As for where... it'll be held in the castle city."

"Got it, I'll be sure to see you there," Ragna told him with a small sigh. "Anything else?"

"I... um," Kagura's sister began, looking rather nervous given how the two had 'met' the day prior. "I just wanted to... to say thanks for deciding to help out my older brother. Both here and in Liette."

"Eh... You're brother's an okay guy," Ragna told her with a smirk before turning back to Kagura. "But _just_ okay."

"Heh, no respect," Kagura said with chuckle before realizing something important. "Hold on, do the two of you even know each others name?"

"Guess we don't," Ragna said before figuring he'd make the first introduction as he pointed to himself. "Call me Ragna. And you?"

"I'd ask that you show some form of manners," Hibiki commented from the shadows with a clear tone of disapproval. "You are speaking to a lady of a noble house after all."

"It's alright Hibiki," Kagura's little sister told the family. "It's nice to be able to talk to someone as an actual person."

"As you say milady, I simply don't want you to adopt his mannerism of speaking. You'll already have to speak as formally as you can to make up for your brother's far too relaxed attitude."

"Hey, now you're making me the villain," Kagura groaned, leaving Ragna to chuckle as he awaited his sister's response.

"Please, call me Kaguya," she told him, reminding Ragna out yet another story from his childhood. "Maybe we'll see each other again after the second round of the tournament."

"Yeah, maybe we will," the Grim Reaper told her with a simple nod before looking at his team. "Sorry to keep you guys waiting."

"You weren't gone for too long," Eric told him. "Still we should get going if we want to reach the Inn by nightfall."

"At least it's not another wagon ride," Emily said with a sigh as she remembered their last trip to _Fortune's Step Inn_.

"I'm ready," Silvana told Ragna as she stared at him with confident eyes.

"Yeah, I'm good to go too," Naoto told him as he held onto the practice sword he'd been using the day prior.

"All right then..." Ragna began with a cocky smirk as he walked out of the town gates. "Let's go."

 _ **Author's Note: Don't own BlazBlue.**_

 _ **Hey guys, It's been a bit since I've written for this story. This was just a tie-in chapter, but it needed to happen. Personally, this story is just a favorite of mine to write for and I've got A LOT of irons in this fire.**_

 _ **Anyways, thanks to the three that submitted their answer to last chapters contest. The answer was 'SPOILERS', basically you have to reverse the letters, making A-Z B-Y C-X, and so on.**_

 _ **Anyways, until next time guys.**_

 _ **Character Relations**_

 _Kagura Mutsuki: 1_ _st_ _Rank_

 _Naoto Kurogane: 1_ _st_ _Rank_

 _Eliza Edgeworth: 1_ _st_ _Rank_

 _Emily: 1_ _st_ _Rank_

 _Zeus of Chains: 1_ _st_ _Rank_

 _ **Town Relations**_

 _Hometown: Revered Member_

 _Fortune's Step Inn: Boar Killer_

 _Trudalla: Blue_ _Flamed Man_


	8. Return Trip

_**Blue VII: Return Trip**_

' _Say whatever the hell you want about a horse drawn carriage, sometimes a peaceful walk is the best thing to keep your mind off things,'_ Ragna thought to himself as he traversed the countryside, a slight wind blowing through the tall grass to his right and the tree branches to his left. Ragna gave a soft sigh as he looked at the clear sky above.

"Shouldn't you keep your guard up?" Eric asked from beside him. "We don't have Zeus or the other mercenaries here to keep us safe."

"You have me don't you? Have some faith," Ragna told him without stopping his travel along the dirt path.

"Yeah, and if you die from an ambush arrow, we're next... So, eyes open yeah?" Eric told him, leaving the Reaper to roll his eyes, but focused them ahead. "Anyways, should we slow down? I think our littlest two are starting to fall behind."

"Already? We haven't been on the road that long," Ragna said as he looked to the back of the group. Silvana and Naoto hadn't fallen too far behind and Emily was sticking close by them, but Ragna could see that they were breathing heavily and sweat was starting to form on their brows. "...Alright, I guess we could take a short break if they really need it."

"They might, there's a pretty big tree up ahead that could provide us with some decent shade while we rest," Eric told him. "Probably the best place around."

"We'll stop there for a bit then, but let's try to keep moving soon; we're trying to get Naoto to Arron as soon as we can, I don't want to take him on a whole adventure," Ragna reminded.

When the group finally made their way to the tree, Naoto and Silvana were only too happy to slump its thick trunk and enjoy the shade the tree provided. Wanting to keep the two hydrated, Ragna offered the two the water skin, which Silvana was only too happy to grab first before taking a long swig of it.

"Jeeze, save some for the rest of the trip," Ragna told her as he crossed his arms. "Are the two of you going to be alright?"

"Be fine," Silvana said with a pout after she'd finished her drink.

"I... I can keep up," Naoto told him, trying to be as assertive as he could before drinking from the water skin himself. He held onto his wooden practice sword and tried to keep it close to his person.

"At this rate Ragna's going to have to carry one of you to the inn," Emily noted with a snarky smirk on her face as she crossed her arms and leaned against the tree. "Seriously though, why did you end up bringing that sword with you? Seems like dead weight honestly."

"I... I thought I could defend myself with it," Naoto admitted as he continued to keep the sword close to him.

"Not to make fun of your effort, but Emily's got a point," Ragna admitted with a sigh. "That sword won't do you any good if you're too tired to swing it when someone finally shows up... Then again, I think we'll be fine. The road's been clear so far and it doesn't look like the weather's going to be changing either."

"Good, traveling while it's raining is the worst," Eric muttered.

"To you, anything while it's raining is the worst," Emily reminded as she remembered their childhood. "Farming, hunting, you even hated staying inside the church when it was raining."

"That because we had run all over the church, placing buckets and emptying them so we wouldn't be flooded over," the axe user remembered with a groan. "Normally had to do it alone, because in spite of the weather, a certain idiot would _still_ continue to train."

"I needed to do something to take up that time didn't I? It beat sitting around complaining like you used to," Ragna told him. "...But to be fair, that roof was leaky as all hell before we finally managed to fix it right."

"See?" Eric told the others before sitting back down. It was then that the two heard wagons along the road and footsteps a lot of them. "Sound like there's a group of wagons heading this way."

"Not too shocking, this is a well-traveled road," Ragna told them as he kept his guard up and turned to the road.

A small battalion of foot soldiers led the group, headed by a higher-ranking officer seated atop horseback and adorned in full plate armor. Said leader looked off at Ragna to the side with a harsh glare, probably expecting him and his group to bow to the passing soldiers. Ragna didn't submit and returned a much fiercer glare at the head soldier, who's body turned ridged for a moment at the force of Ragna's stare down before averting his gaze entirely. A few horse drawn carriages then passed the group by, and while the windows were covered with cloth to travel the passengers, the group could clearly see that the crest placed upon the sides.

"Wait, is that the royal convoy?" Emily asked from beneath a tree.

"Looks like it," Eric said as he thought it over. "...Think we could get a ride with them?"

"You're joking, aren't you?" Ragna responded. "That's the prince and princess of the kingdom in that wagon. The guards wouldn't let us walk alongside them, let alone ride in the royal carriage."

"Well, you're with us aren't you?" Eric said thoughtfully. "Winner of Trudalla's _Holy Horizon_ Qualifier and savior of Liette. They'd stop for you, wouldn't they?"

"Won't work," Silvana told him in her usual monotone voice. "Take Ragna... Leave us."

"Silv's got a good point; we should just keep walking for now and focus on getting to _Fortune's Step_ ," Ragna told them as the convoy passed by. "Good news is I don't think there will be any bandits looking to pick a fight if we trail close enough behind them."

"And the bad news?" Eric asked before looking at the tree. "You're got to be kidding me." That moment of respite turned out to be all Naoto had needed to pass out from exhaustion. He was leaning against the tree, his eyes closed as he softly continued to snore. "Looks like we're going to have to wait for him."

"Not a chance, I'm not letting us get caught out here while it's dark," Ragna insisted as he picked Naoto up and began to carry him on his back. "Grab his sword and let's go; break's over." As the entire party continued to head out, Ragna caught a glimpse of Silvana glaring at him out of the corner of his eyes. Turning to the young half-elf, he bluntly demanded, "What's your problem?"

"Me next," she told the Reaper as she motioned to the sleeping form of Naoto. Ragna let out an annoyed sigh; this was going to be a long trip.

 _A Few Hour's Later_

Despite Ragna's griping, he did decide he'd honor Silvana's wishes to be carried once Naoto had awoken. This left Emily and Eric to let him know that he was far too softer on the younger ones, a claim that he didn't bother defending himself from (they did have a point). By now though, both of them had managed to get the break from walking that they had desperately needed and now the group was walking as a whole.

"Dang, I didn't think it'd be this far away," Naoto groaned as continued to follow the others. Since Ragna didn't want the youth to tire himself before they reached their destination, he elected to carry his wooden practice sword him so Naoto could focus his energy on walking.

"Well this is going to be the shorter of the two trips," Ragna informed. "Getting to _Fortune's Step_ is the easy part, the long trip starts when we leave the Inn and head south back to the village... We might actually have to sleep in the woods on the road cause we won't make it in one day."

"Doesn't sound so bad to me," Emily told him as she thought back to their childhood. "I always used to love spending the nights out in the woods. It was so calm and peaceful sleeping in the trees."

"Yeah, and I always got in trouble when you did that," Ragna muttered. "Aaron and your father would always blame me when you went outside, something about me turning you 'rebellious.'"

"So... are you trying to say she should thank you?" Eric asked his best friend with a smirk. Ragna groaned as he kept walking, he eyes slowly narrowing as he looked up ahead. "What's wrong?"

"We've got trouble," Ragna said as he stared on the horizon. They appeared as little more than a collection off smudges of in the distance to Eric, but Ragna managed to see them in much greater detail; they were several burly men dressed in grubby clothes and rusted iron armor. The rust on their weapons appeared to be from blood and Ragna could easily see that these men hadn't showered much at all lately. "Looks like I was wrong; we're going to run into some bandits after all... we should-"

"We should stop them," Naoto interrupted. Ragna paused before glancing down at the boy with due skepticism. "I mean... if we don't they'll just attack other travelers. We can stop them... can't we?"

"This isn't something a kid like you should have to wa... Fair enough kid," Ragna muttered as he took his sword out and rested it on his coat shoulder, remembering that Naoto had already seen plenty of death prior to this.

"Whoa, aren't you sending them a message by taking your weapon out?" Emily asked as she noticed that the bandits were starting to tense as they got closer. "I mean, won't you frighten them off?"

"Not with their allies hiding in the tall grass, ready to surround us when we get close enough," Ragna told the as he subtly motioned to the right with his head. It took Silvana and Emily a moment, but they eventually saw where the other bandits were hiding. "Silvana can clear the grass away with her wind magic if she's good enough while Eric protects our flank. Emily will back me up with her bow, and Naoto?"

"Yes?" the young boy asked with concern.

"No heroics," Ragna commanded bluntly. "You're not skilled or strong enough for this yet, just try to stay close to Emily. "

"O-Okay," Naoto agreed, looking a little disappointed. Eventually the group made their way past the bandits hidden in the grass and close enough for those in plain sight to approach them.

"What's this then? A bunch of armed kids with a hired mercenary?" one of them asked. Ragna figured he was the supposed merc in question. "You got any good coin on you?"

"None that you're getting," Ragna told them darkly.

"Well that's too bad, because you need _some_ way to pay the toll to get through," the leader said and the others disgustingly cackled. "How's about you leave your women with us? They might look a tad young, but don't worry; we'll take care of 'em... we'll take _real_ good care of 'em."

"Seriously, if you're going to play to part of a notorious bandit group or whatever the hell you're going for, at least put some effort into the act," Ragna said with a sigh as he readied his sword, holding it backhanded in his left hand like he was used to. The blade was still far too light from what he'd been used to, but he'd have to adapt. "'Sides, you couldn't handle these two; they'd tear your throats out with their teeth before you'd so much as touch 'em."

"Tch, cocky bastard aren't you?" the leader grumbled. "Maybe I'll try to keep you alive, just so you can listen to them scream."

Ragna didn't say anything, he focus on both the bandits before him and ones readying themselves in the tall grass. With no warning at all the red coated warrior gave a harsh smirk. "Silvana... Do the thing."

"Doing it."

While Ragna and the others had seen Silvana use her magic before it had been more easily used to assist her movement, like when she'd used it to slow her fall after leaping from atop the church's roof or when she was dueling Ragna and had used it to increase her speed. This time however, she used it as a full on attack and created a massive blade of her wind magic that she sent out to the bandits hiding in the grass. While her magic didn't cut that deep into the bandits themselves, it did sheer away the grass that was supposed to be hiding them and left them completely exposed.

"She's a mage, we're dealing with a mage!" one of the bandits shouted at the top of his lungs.

"She's still just a kid! She didn't kill you with it did she!?" the leader shouted. "Get them! They're still just a bunch of piss stained brats and an idiot swordsman!"

"You're the only idiots here," Ragna muttered as the rest of the bandits charge forward with their rust swords and axe. He didn't active his _Azure_ , there was no point in wasting it on second rate thugs like this. He swung his bastard sword with great force as the first bandits made his way up to him, taking his arm off in that single swing alone. The bandit gave a great cry of pain before Ragna followed up with a second swing, putting him out of his misery.

As the rest of the group surged forward, Emily let lose an arrow from her bow watching it sail forward before it managed to hit a bandit dead in the heart. As a huntress she was already used to making kills with her bow, she'd need to find some way to help feed her family and hunting usually provided a decent income with their meat to eat and their hides to turn into leather and sell. This may have been he first time killing someone with sentience, but given the circumstances she was able to shake the feeling off rather easily and let lose another arrow, injuring another of the bandits.

Using his twin axes, Eric was managing to hold off his own group of bandits rather well thanks to Silvana's own support and Zeus's lessons. Growing up in a small farming village and having to work in the fields, he'd had to slaughter animals himself and help prepare the meats. Again, it wasn't the same as actually killing a living human being, but he told himself that if Ragna would go this far to protect them, he'd have to return the favor himself... though he was somewhat concerned that Silvana could cut a man from head to toe with her wind magic without batting an eye.

"What the hell!? These kids actually have some bite to them!" one of the bandits shouted before he was cut down by Eric's axes.

By now most of the bandits had been dealt with, now on the ground with severed limbs and fatal wounds. The few that remained consisted of those that stuck close to the apparent leader of the group and the two that Eric and Silvana were focused on dealing with. The bandit leader looked at the enemy group with a clear sense of dread, weighing his options.

"Don't even think of running," Ragna said darkly as his sword once more cleaved through a bandit.

Charging through he stabbed another enemy through the chest while Emily guard his back from another bandit with a well placed arrow, now Ragna stood before the leader. Using a desperation move, the bandit leader tried to cleave through the Reaper with his greatsword, only for Ragna to block the fierce attack with only a single hand on his own blade. Forcing the heavy attack off of him, the Reaper then retaliated with a sudden _Hilt Smash_ to his temple, sending his opponent to the ground.

"Well, that's done with," Eric said as he put his twin axes back on their holsters now that the bandits had been dealt with. "Is everyone alright?"

"Think so," Silvana said as she went up to Ragna and looked down at the bandit leader the Reaper had taken down. "Not dead?"

"No, I just knocked this one out," Ragna told her. "This guy might have some sort of hide out or something he can tell us about when he wakes up. Or we can try dragging him off and collect a reward for his capture."

"Sounds like it'd be a pain to drag him all the way to _Fortune's Step Inn_ ," Emily muttered before she looked in the direction they'd been traveling before the bandits had attacked. "Someone's heading this way."

"I see 'em," Ragna told her before he sighed and sheathed his blade. "Looks like they're members of the royal convoy from earlier."

"How can you tell?" Naoto asked as the knights and their horses started to come into easier view.

"Their armored plating has a bit of a shine to it that you can easily see if it's reflecting off of the sunlight," the Reaper explained. "Also, looks like that prince character's riding in the lead."

"...Just don't say anything that'd get us all branded criminals... please?" Eric begged. Ragna rolled his eyes and promised nothing. Eventually the prince and his four knight escorts made their way before the traveling group.

" _The Blue Flamed Man_ ," Prince Dante acknowledged, using the nickname that Ragna was quickly starting to despise. "I wasn't expecting us to see each other so soon after the Trudalla ball last knight."

"Well, you did pass us on the road a few hours back," Ragna told him non-chalantly. "So what brought you back this way?"

"I'd been told of bandits attacking stray travelers along the country roads by the bartender at the inn up the road," the prince explained. "I decided to come back here with my men to see if we could put a stop to the brigands' nefarious ways, but it seems you beat us to it. On behalf of my father and the rest of the kingdom, you have our thanks."

"Keep your thanks; they were in the way," Ragna told him, earning a scowl from the mounted knights and a few of his friends as well.

"Well then, will gold be a more satisfactory reward?" the prince asked refinedly.

"...It'd help," Ragna admitted before a low groan was heard from the bandit leader at his feet. "This one's still alive, he's all yours if you want him."

"A lead to his hideout, that would indeed be useful," Dante agreed as his knights dismounted and surrounded the man with their weapons pointed at his throat, save for one which harshly thrust a bag of coins into Ragna's hands. "You're welcome to accompany me to take care of the rest if you wish, I'm sure your skills with a blade would be most beneficial to our fight."

"Sorry, but I'm going to need to hurry if I'm going to make it to _Fortune's Step_ by nightfall, and unlike you I don't have horses," Ragna told them.

"Understood, but still unfortunate. I was truly looking to see how you skills with the sword compare to my own. They must have aided you dearly when you saved the city of Liette from those monsters."

Ragna didn't say anything, but a quick glance to Naoto told him that their youngest member was still deeply scarred by what he'd seen in the attack in on his city and the butchering in the goblin cave. Ragna figured this wasn't anything that'd go away anytime soon, and the last thing the kid needed was someone to remind him of what happened.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not get into that right now," Ragna told him before looking to the fearful bandit that had managed to recover. "'Sides, it looks like you've got enough on your plate as is."

"...Point enough, perhaps I'll see you at the Inn later with my sister," Dante offered. Ragna didn't say anything, rather giving a passive nod as he headed off with his siblings down the road.

"Are you trying to pick a fight with the royal family, you idiot!?" Eric hissed once they were a good distance away.

"For once; no," Ragna told them, confusing them slightly as they didn't realize he was referring to his last life. "Come on, he didn't even look that upset."

"And what if he had been?" Emily demanded in agreement with Eric. "Those knights could have been ordered to take your head off and then what, you'd fight against the crown and kingdom?"

"Ragna doesn't..." their young half-elf began. "Submit... to anyone."

"Well... that's true," Eric had to agree. "But this is different than getting on Ruth's bad side or even the Mutsuki family. You become an enemy of the crown you're an enemy of everyone! And we're stuck with you!"

"Alright, alright, I'll try to be a little more discreet," Ragna promised. "Just don't expect me to kiss any asses."

"Language," Emily told him before looking at Naoto.

"...Sorry kid," Ragna muttered.

Meanwhile, back with Dante and the Knights, the rather quick interrogation was already starting to wrap up.

"So, just to summarize events to make sure we aren't forgetting anything; there are about twenty more of you bandits with in a hide out a few leagues to the east where we'll find your real leader... is that right?"

"I wouldn't lie yer highness, not right now fer certain," the bandit said with fright as sword and spear tips hovered all too close to his neck.

"I know you wouldn't," Dante said as he towered over him. "And of your... _captives_ , what can you tell us about them?"

"We... we have a merchant family in the cells," the bandit admitted. "The boss is holding 'em 'til their guild pays their ransom... but we never touched 'em! I swear to the seven!"

"I'll believe your words when I see them," Dante said before nodding to one of the knights that who ran his lance through the back of the bandit's neck. The bandits gurgled in pain as the spear point sprouted out of his throat causing blood to flow freely from the fatal wound. His eyes were wide with agony and his hands tried to claw helplessly at the spear's point. It wasn't long before he fell to the ground with a sound thud, blood still leaking out as he lie. "And good riddance to a worthless man."

"My lord, should we not return to the Inn for additional forces?" one of the knights questioned. "If this man was telling the truth in his final moments, this bandit group may be of considerable force. "Should we not hurry back and-"

"A waste of time; we don't need additional guards _or_ my sister," Dante told the knight with clear authority in his tone. "The last thing I want is for her to be involved with this mess that I can easily handle myself."

"As. you wish," the guard said as the knights mounted the horses and rode of once more, this time looking for the bandit hideout.

' _If my sister is involved with this in even the slightest, she'll take some of the credit that's meant for me,_ ' Dante thought with a scowl as his force road off. ' _I'll show the people who their real 'King' is... I'll show them with results no stupid tournament could ever dissuade.'_

 _Later -Fortune's Step Inn-_

"...Is it just me or does this look like a problem?" Eric asked as Fortune Step Inn finally stood before them. Surrounding the building were several carts and wagons of the and a large collection of campfires set up by the merchants and other travelers. Despite the large amount of people outside, the inside of the inn still sounded like it was bustling with business with laughter and music as the sun set off in the horizon. The royal convoy's cart was also positioned outside with a few soldiers guarding it.

"Problem," Silvana agreed to Eric's earlier comment.

"Might as well find out what's going on," Emily told the others, leading them towards one of the campfires. The men surrounding it looked like they could pass for farmers from Ragna's home village with their ripped clothing and dirty bodies. "Excuse us, but what's going on?"

"Princess of the Kingdom's here, that's what," one of the men told her. "Prince was here too, but way I hear it he head back west for something, gods know what. Anyways, all of the rooms are taken up by the soldiers."

"Damn knights won't even let us go inside to eat because they're insisting they're protecting the heirs of the kingdom," another man at the fire complained. "But we know what it really is, they just want to eat and drink without having to deal with us common folk."

"You can't even eat?" Naoto asked with worry. Ragna's group might've had rations on them for their trip on the road, but they already eaten part of their stock on the road and what was left would hardly make a meal.

"Not unless you've got some waiting to be cooked, which only a few of us do," a third man sighed. "Damn, and here I was hoping to get a good meal and a good night's sleep before heading south in the morning."

"Wait, you're heading south?" Ragna questioned earning skeptic gazes from the men. "Our home village is that way, what's going on?"

"It's yer village that we're headed to, sellsword," one of the men said, guessing at Ragna's occupation. "We're all builders by trade; walls, houses, shops, it doesn't matter; setting them up is our life's work."

' _Ruth was saying about building something before I left the village,_ ' Ragna thought as he remembered... well just a few days ago really. ' _What the hell's he trying to pull?_ ' Noticing the concerned gazes from Emily and Eric the Reaper decided that they should probably try to get back as quickly as they could. "We're actually headed the same direction as you, any room in your cart?"

"It'll be a tight fit, but if you've got a fair offer us, we'll make it work for you," one of them told the group.

"How about protection along the road?" Ragna offered.

"Well, that might work, trips along the roads have been more treacherous as of late," one of the builders admitted. "But, are you really sure that you can handle yourself?"

"Better than any one inside there could," Ragna said as he gestured to the inn.

"...The princess of the realm's inside that inn," one of the farmers decided to remind. "Someone's who's supposed to 'ave practiced combat all 'er life, just so she can win the _Holly Horizon_ against the rest of her kingdom."

"That's _Holy Horizon_ and I was including her too," Ragna said passively, not as a brag but as a fact. "Plus we've got Eric with his axes, Emily with her bow, and Silv with magic."

"...I guess questionable protection's better than no protection," one of the merchants admitted. "Alright then, you've got yourself a ride in the morning, but you better not oversleep."

"We;re used to hearing that, our last group told us the exact same thing in fact," Eric said as he looked at the campfire. "Mind if we join you?"

"Plenty of fire for everyone, gather round," one of the builders invited and Eric and the others took their places and enjoyed the warmth of the flames... right before a low growl was heard. Surprised, everyone turned to Naoto who had a sheepish blush on his face. "Sorry kid; food's one of things we don't have much of."

"...Let's see if I can change that," Ragna muttered as he headed towards the door.

"Don't kill us!" Eric shouted yet again, leading Ragna to roll his eyes. The Reaper then made his way to the front door and entered the inn. "Dang... He always has to go and start trouble like this..."

"Well what else do you expect? I mean it's Ragna after all, I doubt whatever power he has is going to change him from that kid that we knew in his youth," Emily reminded. "He's completely in a world of his own."

' _More like a league of his own,'_ Eric said as he thought back to their first fight. ' _I'm still trying to figure out how to use the crossbow I got from Emily after Zeus's lessons, so the best I can do is try to keep up with Ragna on the front lines but...'_ Eric then remembered that he'd manage to hold Ragna back, but that was because his friend had been greatly weakened. ' _Am I... slowing him down?_ '

Inside the Inn, said Reaper closed the door behind him and took a good look at his surroundings. Like he'd expected there were soldiers sitting around the several tables of the Inn sitting around drinking, laughing at crude jokes, and gorging themselves on the food without a care in the world. Ragna also noticed that they were a couple of bards performing music and serving girls being hit on by the soldiers that weren't here last time. Either the convoy had brought servants with them, or there was a select group that they had insisted that could join them. He also saw Heathson Stonejaw's dwarven daughter, Grenda, serving drinks to the soldiers... while a full beard upon her face for some reason.

' _Funny, it didn't look like she was growing a beard when I saw a few days ago,'_ Ragna thought to himself before shaking his head. ' _Whatever, that's not the point here. I need to find Heathson or one of his sons and try to get some food._ '

"Hey! You!" a guards voice shouted from one of the tables. Ragna let out a groan as he looked to the glaring soldier while the rest of the merrymaking around them continued. "We already told the lot of you to sleep outside! This is the kingdom's bossiness here!"

"Figured as much, just let me pay for some food and I'll be out of your way," Ragna told him nonchalantly as he headed for the front desk. As soon as he'd taken a couple of steps forward, he saw several soldiers moving in and surrounding him. "Now what?"

"All of us here are to guide and guard the prince and princess of the realm and protect them against the dangers of the country road," one of the more sober soldiers told the Reaper and he placed his hand on his sword pommel.

"Yeah, you're _real_ ready for an attack against the princess," Ragna sarcastically mocked, right as one of the guards fell from out of the chairs to the floor, passed out drunk. "Take that guy for example, he's someone who's on the job."

"...You're interfering with Royal Business," the more sober one told the Reaper as several other placed their hands on their sword pommels. "Either you leave here or you'll be charged with treason against the kingdom and crown."

" _..._ Tch, guess I'll go hunting then," Ragna muttered as he headed towards the door.

"Hold just a moment," came a new voice that Ragna had heard only once before. Turning to face the newcomer, Ragna found himself looking at the form of Princess Esther. Currently the potential heir to the throne had changed out of the royal attire Ragna had seen her wearing at the ball and was now wearing a maroon brown traveler's shirt and cloak along with white pants and a pair of leather shoes. "I did not know that you were headed this way."

"...Came across your brother on the road," Ragna told her without any regard to a formal address, earning him a sword at his throat.

"When speaking to Princess Esther, you'll conduct yourself with the respect she deserves or pay the price, peasant," one soldier told him, only to realize a moment later how much Ragna was truly towering over him and how little he felt in his shadow with those glowing blue eyes glaring at him.

"That's quite enough; I'm speaking to him," the princess told of her guard. The man grimaced before shakily pulling his blade away from Ragna's throat. "Now that my guard's display of force is over, I'd like for you to join me upstairs. My guest and I were just about to dine on our supper before moving on and enjoying a spot of freshly brewed tea, I'd very much like to dine with another _Holy Horizon_ contender."

' _Another contender's here? Is it someone from the ball, or someone else?_ ' Ragna thought in his mind. 'D _oesn't matter; it's not what I'm here for._ ' "Sorry, but tea would be wasted on someone like me." His declination did not sit well with the guards, who all moved their hands back to their weapons pommels, some of them carrying a elderitch sound as they were touched to signal the blades were enchanted. Ragna gave an exasperated sigh. "That again? I already showed you the first time that it's not going to work."

Esther stared at Ragna the curiosities of the man perplexing her the more she saw of him. Never had she seen a man or woman decline her invitation unless it specifically went against her father's orders, and even then many of them would make promises to see her soon after. There wasn't such case here, as the man before her proved easily that not only did her invitation come across as only that, he was also far from intimidated by her sizable force of guards that could pressure him into accepting the offer.

"Well, that won't do, I'm rather adamant on dining with you," the princess said to him, something in the sweetness of her voice seeming rather off putting to Ragna. "Tell me, is there something that's preventing you from joining us?"

' _Is she trying to cut a deal with me? It sounds like it...'_ Ragna then looked around at the several knights that were still surrounding him. "...It's hard for anyone to eat in this Inn with the soldiers taking up all of the tables."

"...I see," the princess said before turning to the soldiers. "Let those outside into the Inn, there's no reason to leave them to starve, especially if they can pay for their food."

"B-but milady-!" one of the the soldiers exclaimed. "Our position here is to protect you at all costs!"

"Indeed, but I'd think you'd be able to keep me safe even if you let the common people into only the first floor of this building... _if_ you're doing your jobs properly." No soldier dared to speak against Esther's words a few of them did try to shoot nasty looks at the Reaper as they began piling out of the Inn. "Now then so called _Blue Flamed Man_ , if you would?"

' _A deal goes both ways, looks like it's time to keep my part,_ ' Ragna thought as he followed the princess upstairs. "Mind calling me Ragna though; those titles are starting to get old real fast."

 _Upstairs -Main Guest Room-_

' _Her? Really?_ ' Ragna thought to himself with ire as he entered Esther's room. Sitting at the table already was Tsubaki Yayoi, dressed in the same classic garb Ragna had seen her wearing at the ball the night prior. Tsubaki seemed surprised to see him once more as she sat at the clothed table before them. Esther made her way over to the table and a maid helped pull her chair out to help he become seated.

Taking a closer look at the maid in question, Ragna could see that she was quite clearly an elf; a full one as evident by her large and fully pointed ears as opposed to Silvana's much softer ones. Her hair was a striking sky blue, done up into a bun on her head which was covered by a white maid's cloth. Her eyes were a powerful and deep amber which seemed to be void of much emotion. Based on a her height and figure, Ragna could guess that she was in her mid twenties... in human terms.

"If our guest would give his arm and coat, I'd be happy to take them," an emotionless voice said. Its owner was a butler wearing well made spectacles. He appeared human, but something about him told Ragna he wasn't a normal person. His shounen style hair was as black as midnight and soft as silk while his green eyes looked cold as ice and calculated as a scholar. "Your coat and sword, please?" Ragna didn't offer him either.

"Oh, leave him be Reginald; I doubt he's holding onto them simply to be discourteous," Esther said from the table. "Please sit down, I think our food will be brought soon."

With the Butler giving him a small bow of apology and the maid holding Ragna's chair out so he could be seated, Ragna already felt like he didn't belong here. But he also knew that he'd have to uphold his part of the deal so that the others could get their food, so he decided he'd have to grin and bear it... well the second one at least. The Reaper then took his seat at the table, assisted by the young maid.

"Thanks," he told her. The maid didn't say anything to him, merely curtsying without any emotion on her face.

"Don't mind Cinder, she's never been on to emote at all in the time I've known her since I was a babe," Esther told him, Ragna didn't say anything in response. "I hope that you can at least try to be a little livelier; between you, Tsubaki, the servants, and my brother I've felt as if I've spent the entire day at a morgue."

"I'm terrible at small talk, and I don't really know much about what royalty is interested in," Ragna admitted.

"Then maybe you could tell me about your travels thus far?" Esther asked him. "Between your victory in Trudalla's _Holy Horizon_ qualifier matches and your rescue of the... I'm sorry, Tsubaki told me that it was a subject that you'd rather avoid talking about."

' _Why the hell does Liette have to keep coming up?'_ Ragna thought to himself with clear annoyance. "Well what about you then?"

"Me?" Esther asked. "What could you possibly want to know about me?"

"I dunno, I'm just trying to get a conversation started," Ragna muttered. "It beats eating in silence I guess."

"...Tsubaki was right; you are an odd one," the princess said as she examined Ragna. Tsubaki herself blushed with slight guilt, but Ragna simply waved it off (as he also knew it to be true). "Well if you must know, I've lived in the capital with my brother all of my life and I've been training for this tournament since I my fourth year. I've had countless teachers over the years including my own mother to teach me her magic arts... though I doubt I'm half as skilled in light magic as anyone from the Yayoi house."

"I-I'm sure you could give most of the family a strong challenge milady," Tsubaki tried to tell the young royal somewhat nervously.

"Maybe, but I suppose that will have to wait until the third round of the tournament," Esther said right before the door to the bedroom was opened. A few additional maids entered carrying trays of food and set them upon the table. Looking at the food offered, they were given a bowl of hot soup each along with a loaf of bread and a goblet filled with crimson wine. As the maids parted, the princess raised her goblet, leading Tsubaki and (eventually) Ragna to do the same. "To the _Holy Horizon_ and to the kingdom."

"...Cheers," Ragna agreed, trying hard to hide the reluctance in his tone. The three then drank their wine (which had a rather dry taste to it) before setting them down and beginning the meal in earnest. It was a good meal, Ragna though, but the Reaper knew that he could personal do better. As Ragna was eating he noticed that Esther hadn't begun yet and was casting a strange looking spell that created a large magic sigil over her food. "...You can use magic to add spices?"

"Is that what you think I'm doing?" Esther asked with something of a whimsical smile. "I guess you're not as well versed in magic as I thought you were. Tsubaki, what sort of spell is this?"

"Judging by the magic sigil and it's use, it's clearly either a _Poison Detection_ spell or a _Poison Removal_ one... My guess goes to removal, considering the skill of the caster."

"Exactly, I'm checking my food just to make sure that I can eat without any fear of an assassination attempt on my life," the princess told him with a smile on her face. "Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to a possible heir to the throne would we?"

' _Seriously, why is this chick smiling at me so much?_ ' Ragna thought to himself with agitation as the maids exited the room. "Can I ask you something?"

"Haven't you already?" the princess asked him.

"Funny," the Reaper muttered. "Why are you bothering with me in the first place?"

"...Bothering with you?" the princess asked, the sweet smile still upon her face. "I'm afraid I don't have any idea what you're talking about. You're a member of the _Holy Horizon's_ current contenders; talking with you is certainly well worth my time."

' _Soon as I'm out though, who'd bother?_ ' Ragna thought to himself as the door opened to the bedroom once more. ' _Now what?_ '

"Men and Women of Trudarian! Your prince has returned!" came the triumphant call of the returned Dante. His armor appeared to have a few stains of blood on it, but given his attitude and the condition of the armor it was easily apparent that it wasn't his. "The bandits have been eliminated, the roads are safe once more, and a family's been rescued from certain peril."

' _Someone's excited,'_ Ragna muttered to himself as he didn't bother looking up from his meal. _'I swear to god, this Dante guy has to be one of the biggest showboats out there._ '

 _ **Meanwhile in Another Reality**_

A whiskered silver haired and red coated man gave a moment of pause as he glanced around at the countless bladed rag dolls that surrounded him in the Vatican styled streets of the city. Something didn't rub him the right way and it didn't have anything to do with the foes that stood before him. After a moment he didn't care and he brought out his skeleton-hilt claymore.

"C'mon, I thought you all wanted a piece of me. With all of the attention you've been giving to the kid, I've been starting to feel a little left out," the demon hunter taunted with a shit-eating grin upon his face as the monsters leaped toward him with their rusted arm and leg blades ready to pierce his flesh. "LET'S ROCK BABY!"

 _ **Back to Ragna**_

' _What's with this ominous feeling I'm getting?_ ' Ragna thought before shaking it off himself. ' _It's probably nothing_...' That's when he noticed that the prince didn't appear to have taken his eyes off of him as he took his seat at the table. "...What?"

"I didn't expect to find you here," Dante told him. "Then again I suppose I did extend the invitation while we were on the road, _Blue Flamed Man_."

"Actually, he asked if we could stop calling him by that name," Esther told her brother. "Apparently he likes the title less than we thought he would."

"Is that right?" Dante asked with intrigue as he seated himself at the table. "Odd, but I don't suppose you'd like to be referred to as _Boar Killer_ either, would you?"

"Not in the slighes- Wait, how the hell did you find out about that?" Ragna asked with annoyance.

"The owner of this place told us about an odd little story when I asked him about a strange wall piece made from four large tusks that I saw on the wall. He told me a story about a young foolish warrior that managed to go out in the dead of night and slay the beast when a full group of hunters could not. He called the character _Boar Killer_ , and the description matched you perfectly. Although..."

"What is it?" Ragna asked with a sigh.

"His description of you made you seem just a bit... shorter," Dante told him. "Maybe those rumors I heard about you from the Trudalla priests were more grounded in reality than I'd thought... though I've never seen magic act this way before."

' _Damn those priests; they just couldn't keep their traps shut,'_ the Reaper thought to himself as he grit his teeth. ' _Now I'm on the whole kingdom's radar... They're just going to keep their eyes on me and...'_

"At least the ability went to someone like him."

"Eh?" In all of his years between both of his lives, never had Ragna considered that any version Tsubaki, the woman that had blamed every misfortune that had happened to her friends and the world itself on his very existing, was actually coming to his defense... and against royalty.

"Well, I mean he did show that he's quite able; he did manage to defeat Kagura Mutsuki in single combat," Tsubaki tried to explain, a small blush on her face from having to explain her reasoning to the prince and princess. "Also... I know you don't like to talk about it, but Ragna did run to save Liette when he first heard news of the attack... it was thanks to him that anyone was able to be saved."

"...You don't need to make a big deal of it, I was just in the right place at the right time," Ragna told her. He was about to continue eating, before he noticed that Esther was giggling to herself for some reason. "Um... Am I missing something here?"

"No, no, I'm just relieved that not all men are like my brother; you at least don't try to gorge yourself on honor and titles, in fact you're quite the opposite," Esther said as she giggled just a little more, leaving Ragna confused if she was making fun of him or not.

' _Keep laughing sister,'_ Dante thought to himself as he began eating. ' _Soon I'll have the only title worth owning in this kingdom. And where will that leave you to be whimsical?'_

 _Later -Princess Bedroom-_

"Shame that _The_ _Blue-_ I mean, that Ragna had to leave so early, I had no idea a man of common birth could be so interesting," Esther thought to herself as she undid the covers of her bed and slid beneath the sheets. "Tch, these roadside beds are always so coarse... Tell me Cinder, what did you think of him?"

"...He's a problem," the elf said, finally speaking. "The way he carries himself is far too casual and relaxed, more so that it's in your company. Although..."

"Although what?" the princess asked, seeming interested in her maid's analysis.

"He did seem somewhat agitated when he saw the Yayoi heir," Cinder noted. "Almost like he had a history with the woman..."

"I can't imagine that he did, their homes are nowhere near each other and Tsubaki herself insisted that they had never met before... unless they have a relationship that transcends beyond their times. A love that exist beyond their mortal bodies!" There was a bright twinkle in the princesses eye as she thought about this possibility.

"Well done milady," Cinder complimented emotionlessly. "You quite nearly had me fooled."

"...Liar, you didn't fall for it for a moment," Esther said as she laid her head upon her pillow. "His magic..."

"Is still only the thing of rumors so far highness," Cinder told her master as she blew out the candles. "I will awaken you in the morning when we depart. Pleasant dreams princess." With that the elf left the room and left the princess alone in the darkness.

"...I still want it... all of it..."

 _ **Author's Note POLL INCLUDED VERY IMPORTANT**_

 _ **Hey guys, finally got this story updated. Now for the poll... which might leave a couple of people upset, but we'll see.**_

 _ **So full disclosure, in the next few chapters after Ragna returns to his home village I was planning on leaving Emily and Eric there so that I could have more focus on Ragna rather than the OC's I've written in. I've always felt like the focus on this adventure should be on Ragna's part of his travels, but I feel like having him take his group along limits his options. What's also certain so far is after I have him take Silvana to the Mage Guild in the north, I'm going to have them split up as well. These characters won't be completely out of the story since Ragna's left them, but they won't have nearly as much screen time.**_

 _ **So here's what the poll's on: Should Eric and Emily have gone with Ragna in the first place or should they have stayed in the Village? It's a fair question and I feel like I'd sort of be stretching some logic if they gave up traveling with him after only a couple of days. Would it make more sense if I simply left them home at the village and they'd be there to greet Ragna next chapter?**_

 _ **At my story's current state it wouldn't be too hard to enact this change. I'd have to remove their involvement from the story from the ending of Blue 1 and beyond (which was so little that it's kind of the reason I'm doing this) and have Silvana take up the majority of the events like his dance with Emily at the ball (she was only behind by three votes in that poll in the first place) and I could go into the two of them having a more in depth duel after Zeus's training. I could even easily have the merchant Jonathan take care of Silvana or Naoto in almost all of the scenes where they're separated by Ragna or Naoto.**_

 _ **Next chapter would even play out very similar to the story thus far; Ragna returns to his village with Naoto and Silvana while Emily and Eric can react anew to the changes from Ragna's body (there WAS a point to that) and I'd be able to introduce them to Naoto on a much different note.**_

 _ **It's a pretty big change, but Ragna, the environment, and his discovery of the main BlazBlue cast is the main focus of this fic in the first place. The others were always sort of just... tagging along. It'll be easier just to give them more screen time whenever I have Ragna return to his home village from his travels (basically I'll have their relationship growths tied to the village itself).**_

 _ **Anyways the poll will be up until November the 10th and then I'll post a new chapter for another story on the 17th before coming back to fix this if people desire the changes.**_

 _ **Take care everyone!**_

 _ **Ciao!**_


	9. A Changed Home

_**Blue VIII: A Changed Home**_

 _'Damn, why can't I shake off this feeling?_ ' Ragna thought to himself as he sat in the builder's cart. ' _I mean, I haven't been away from the village that long... it's only been a couple of days actually, what could've happened since then? At least we're almost there; Emily needs to get off this thing soon..._ '

The cart was packed tightly with the workers and the less said about the smell the better. Emily was _not_ happy, she would have been miserable enough with her hatred with cart rides and her sickness that went along with it, but when she'd been on Jonathan's cart she'd at least been able to stretch her legs and have the time to survive the ordeal. Now she was squished between Eric and Silvana with barely any room to move, not that the others were much better off. Ragna had tried using the _Azure_ ahead of time like he'd done earlier to make sure that Emily's ride back home would be a bit smoother, but the effect had worn off early and she had gone back to her groaning self long ago.

 _'I should at least give everyone some room,_ ' Ragna thought before leaping out the side of the cart.

"Something wrong?" the driver in front asked, leaving Ragna to recall that he was the hired help for this expedition.

"No, nothing's wrong; just felt like walking the rest of the way," Ragna told him as he glanced around the area lit by the setting sun. "We're not far from the village anyways."

"Is that so? You recognize the path?" one of the builders asked. The Reaper nodded in response. "Good was afraid we were going to get lost. Traveling in the kingdom's already become more dangerous as of late with the bandit and monster attacks become more and more frequent."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Eric said as he managed to stretch his legs out some now that Ragna had left. Glancing back at his friend, Ragna could see that Eric was trying hard not to think about his town that had been destroyed by bandits before he'd been rescued and brought to the church. Naoto had recently become another example of someone who'd lost their home after an attack after he'd had to watch his hometown and family be slaughtered by goblins.

"That's why I'm here, in the case something does go wrong," Ragna reminded everyone.

"Is that so? Tell me stranger, do you fancy yourself a mercenary?" the lead driver asked.

"I don't fancy myself much of anything really," Ragna told him. "Really, I'm just a traveler trying to make his way around this crazy place." ' _That's probably the most honest I've ever been with myself,_ ' he thought to himself bluntly.

"You might consider it though, the way I hear it those who can fight like mercenaries, guards, and bounty hunters are where all of the jobs are going these days... That's the kind of age we live in now. It's actually a miracle we were able to find a few jobs in this place, I wouldn't have thought that too many people would proposed building a new town with all of the chaos."

' _That's what I'm worried about, just what the hell is it that Ruth's trying to do?_ ' Ragna thought to himself.

"It's kind of weird though," Naoto decided to say finally breaking his long standing silence. "You'd think that the knights would be protecting us; isn't that their job?"

"I wish kid, I really wish..." one of the workers grumbled. "Knight's only care about serving the king or their lord for an easy life and hide behind their 'honor' as a stupid excuse to ignore the rest of us. Trust me, you won't get far placing your trust in them."

"Not like sell-swords are much better," another put in. "They're the type to save a man's farm and then take the farm and the rest of the food as payment. And the Mages and their guild to tha north? The less said about those freaks and their black magic the better, it's probably because of 'em we have to deal with these monsters in the first place." While Ragna's eyes narrowed into a glare at the words, Silvana didn't say anything and kept her head down.

"Ugh... I can't take it anymore," Emily groaned before she slowly climbed out of the side of the cart. "Solid ground... at last..."

 _Hometown Gates_

"Well that's new..." Ragna muttered as the cart finally neared the town. "Why the hell's there a stone wall around the town?" The barrier in question was about 4 feet in total height and looked like it wouldn't take much effort to knock over. The path into the town was open, but there were a couple of guards positioned there, including...

"Emily?" one of the members holding a sword exclaimed in surprise at one of the two members of the convoy that were walking.

"Uh... Hey dad," Emily said as she nervously scratched the back of her head. "We're back..."

"A-Already? But you've only been gone for a couple of days! What happened!?" her father shouted. Already a few of the other members of the guard were glancing at one another in concern at the display as he father looked over the inhabitants in the cart. "And where's that idiot Ragna!? Don't tell me he left you while you were on the road! The nerve of that heartless bastard..."

"Ouch," the Reaper muttered. Emily father looked at him with nothing more than contempt in his eyes until he got a better look at the man, recognizing the silvery hair and azure blue eyes.

"R-Ragna?" the guard said in amazement as he looked at the man who now stood taller than him. "It... it...it-"

"It's a long story Joshua," Ragna finally interrupted as he crossed his arms. "What's happened to the town since I've left; more to the point,what's Ruth been doing?"

"He's... Well, it's probably better for you to go in and see for yourself," Joshua told him before looking to the builders. "More workers I take it? Put your cart with the others and head for the biggest building in the town, you'll be sorted out there."

"Alright then, looks like our stop," Eric said as he headed out of the cart, followed by Naoto, and-

"Wait, isn't that the half-elf?" one of the townguard asked as they glared at Silvana. "We shouldn't let her back in the-"

"She's with me. Got a problem with that?" Ragna's tone put the men still. With his increased height, Ragna's voice had become as deep as it once had been back in his home world and his narrowed, harsh, and glowing blue eyes now held a demon's gaze that nearly sent the town guard trembling. Seeing Ragna trying to keep her safe, Silvana decided she'd stay as close as she could to her Reaper guide for now. With the guards unable to stop them, the five headed into their changed hometown.

The changes to their home were apparent, but since the four hadn't been out of the town for that long the projects were mostly in their beginning stages. The only completed building was a rather large shack built not far from the center of the town that was about twice the size of Aaron's church. Taking just a quick look inside, the four saw that with the number of beds this was likely the barracks for the workers of the town.

Closer to the center of the town, foundations were being laid for a different building. Already the wooden base had been build and wooden beams that would stretch out a lay the foundations for the walls had been built up as well. The workers had already finished their work for the day, so the project laid unguarded. The only thing left was a sign in the front with parchment nailed to it.

"What's it say?" Emily asked as she lacked the ability to read.

"Um... I can try reading it," Naoto told the others, who only glanced to him in surprise. "B-back in my home town, my sister used to read all of the time... I'm nowhere as good as she was, but I can read a little."

"That so?" Ragna questioned. "Well then, take your best shot kid."

At his rescuers encouragement, the youngest of the group began to carefully read the sign. " _This is to be the... site of Ga-... Galevon's first inn. No tre... tross..."_

"Trespassing, but good try," Ragna told him as he appeared to be deep in thought. "Galevon though..."

"Village name?" Silvana asked him.

"No, as far as I know this town's never had a name," Emily told him. "In all the time we've been here, no one ever gave this place an actual name. Kids, adults, merchants; we all just called this place _the village_."

"Tch, so now that I'm gone Ruth goes out of his way to go and give this place a name of his own, and what else would he pick other than his family name?" Ragna grumbled

"Ruth's family has a name?" Eric asked, the news an apparent surprise to him. "Never heard of that before... I mean, does that mean his family actually has some sort of power or something?"

"Probably not, or else they'd have tried taxing the village long ago," the Reaper explained. "No surprise you've never heard of it though; I've maybe heard them call each other by that name only two or three times and always in secret... No idea why they don't talk about it though."

"Bad history?" Silvana suggested, offering her insight.

"Maybe kid, maybe," Ragna told her before he sighed. "It's getting late, I should get Naoto to Aaron, maybe see if I can't get some answers from the old man."

"You guys go on ahead then, I should probably go and see my mum and brother," Emily told them before sighing. "No doubt they're going to drown me in questions about my trip when my father gets back."

"God speed, something tells me that you're going to need it," Eric told her as the group split up and the remaining four headed to church where Eric and Ragna had been raised (Ragna for a second time). "Which reminds me, you think Aaron's going to mind if we try to crash with him for a while?"

"I doubt it," Ragna told him. "He's probably still got beds open for you, Naoto, and Silvana. If worst comes to worst though, I can always sleep outside like I used to."

"Tch, and leave the _joy_ of putting the younger ones to sleep to me? Fat chance," Eric muttered as he thought back to a week prior. Ragna merely chuckled. "Yeah, go ahead and laugh..."

Much to Ragna's relief it looked like the church hadn't been changed in the slightest, still standing the same as he'd left it. Since it was evening, Ragna heard sounds of chatter and laughter coming from inside his second home as the orphanage began their evening meals. He gave a content sigh before turning to the rest of his group. "Wait here for a sec, I'm just going to talk to Aaron real quick."

"Shouldn't we all see him together?" Eric asked before he realized what Ragna was getting at. "...You know we're still going to watch right?"

"Watch what?" Naoto asked with curiosity.

"You'll see kid," Eric said with a smirk as Ragna glared at him. "Well? Go on, it's not getting any brighter out here."

With another sigh the Reaper headed for the front of the orphanage, stopping when he'd made it to the front door. Glancing back, Ragna saw the others were clearly waiting with anticipation at what would happen. Shaking his head, Ragna rapped his fist on the door a few times. The chatter and laughter whiten the church stilled for a moment.

"Who could that be at this hour?" came Aaron's familiar voice. Ragna heard the wizened man mildly grumble to himself as he rose from the table and head over to the front door before opening it. Unsurprisingly, it didn't look like the old man had gone through any drastic changes, which is more than what could be said about himself. Aaron looked at Ragna for a long moment of silence, his face void of all emotion. "...What in the name of the Seven happened to you?"

"I..." Ragna began, realizing he should have come up with an excuse or something that he could tell the Father. "I don't know," he said shaking his head sadly and trying to ignore his friends snickering from behind him.

"You've been gone for a grand total of only six days; not even a full week..." Aaron began, his tone telling Ragna that it didn't matter that he was now taller than his former caretaker; he could still get a lecture all the same. "You talk about wanting to leave the town and go off to join the Mage's Guild, you bring Eric and Emily along with you... and now you're back at my door step as a clueless giant?"

"...To be honest, I had a different reason for coming back," Ragna told them as he stepped out of the way. Glancing where the Reaper had been standing Aaron saw and recognized Eric and Silvana, but his eyes narrowed when they landed on Naoto.

"...I understand," Aaron said after only a moment of examining the boy. "We don't have much supper left, but the again we weren't expecting a homecoming tonight."

"I can make more food if you need me to, been wanting to cook something for a while anyways," Ragna offered before gesturing for his friends to come over, which they did. "Naoto this is Aaron; the priest who raised Eric and I. Aaron, this is Naoto; I met him on my travels."

"Pleasure to meet you young one," Aaron told the youth as he knelled so he was seeing Naoto at eye level. The young child was shy under the elder's gaze, and hid behind Ragna's legs. "He seems to like you at least... Eric, it's nice to have you back."

"Nice to be back," the Axe user told the Father as he gave the old man a short hug which was surprisingly returned. Without further invitation, the axe user made his way back into the church. "Hey guys! You miss me!?"

"Ragna... go in?" Silvana asked the Reaper as Eric received his enthusiastic welcome.

"Nah, I'll wait a bit, let Eric have his moment and all that," Ragna explained before looking to Silvana. "Guest room still open for her?"

"Always, there's always a place here for you Silvana; most of the orphans have actually been talking about how much they missed you," the priest told her kindly. Silvana gave a small smile before heading into the building herself. "Which leaves Naoto..."

"Go ahead and get him acquainted, I'll head in later," Ragna told the priest as he looked down at Naoto. "These kids that you're going to be staying with a good people, you'll be in good hands kid."

"Okay, and... thanks for getting me here," Naoto told Ragna before heading inside.

"His story?" Aaron asked.

"...I'll give you the details later, for right now I just want some air," the Reaper told him.

"You come back and the first thing you want is to spend time alone? I don't think I'll ever understand you," Ragna's surrogate father told him.

"Like you said, I was gone for less than a week," Ragna rebutted with a smirk. "Not enough time for anyone to miss me."

"You'd be surprised," Aaron told him as he headed inside. "...Welcome home."

' _Old timer's softer than he lets on,_ ' Ragna thought to himself as he smiled contently, listening to the merry conversation and laughter that his friends were enjoying inside... before noticing the newcomer approaching him. ' _And there goes the good mood...'_

"I heard you'd come back," Ruth said as he made his way forward. Oddly enough, the ledger he was always seen carrying was absent. His nose seemed to have healed in full from the beating Ragna had given him. His eyes were focused on Ragna in a bit of scowl which was returned in full. "I wasn't expecting a giant..."

"What do you want Ruth?" Ragna asked trying to get right to the point. Surprisingly, Ruth didn't look like he was going to back down.

"Just to talk... and your help." The Reaper shook his head. "I'm putting all of my plans out in the open Ragna, and this isn't just about me; it's about the village itself."

"Yeah, well give me one good reason I should trust you..." he told his long standing antagonizer with a scowl.

"I don't have one, and you probably wouldn't want to trust me after I tried to force Aaron and the orphans from the church." Ragna felt his blood go cold at Ruth's words.

"...Why the hell did you think it was a good idea to tell me that?" Ragna demanded, trying to keep his anger in check so he wouldn't summon his azure.

"If I'm going to have you trust me, I don't want any secrets to come back to bite me," Ruth told him. "Can I at least explain myself?"

"...What the hell happened to you since I left?" Ragna demanded with a scowl. "You were never this polite when I was around..."

"That's just it," Ruth told him. "You were gone, so I could actually start thinking straight... a few harsh words from my parents and the rest of town helped with that as well."

"...Talk then," the Reaper ordered as he crossed his arms.

"I have a problem with the workers; only a third have made it village and those that did have told me stories about monsters, bandits, and other problems that are plaguing the roads... and they might not be that far from the village."

"You think we're going to get attacked?" Ragna asked.

"It's more than likely," Ruth told him. "Some of the builders have said that over half of the travelers on road have been found dead or go missing, and attacks on small villages are another matter entirely... and with ours about to expand, it could become a perfect target for our supplies."

"Should have thought about that _before_ you tried to expand, idiot," the Reaper bit. "So what? What do you want me to do about it?"

"...I can tell from personal experience that you can at least throw a punch, and you've got a sword now; I need you to help the town guard," Ruth told him. "I hired a group of sell-swords to help protect the village; they've got a good reputation, but it's going to take them a few days to get here. Until then, I want you to help protect the village; I need every man I can get there."

"...Tch, fine, I was planning on staying here a few days anyways," Ragna admitted. "...But, are you really trying to turn a village into an actual town at your age? Sounds way too ambitious."

"It's thanks to you that I'd even considered it," Ruth told him as he clenched his hands into trembling fists. "You think you had it rough growing up in some orphanage where everyone treated you like you were the greatest thing just because you didn't have parents? I had to grow up in a house where I'd be compared to you day in and day out by the parents I had. _Ragna wouldn't have made that mistake, Ragna works twice as you do,_ on and on and on... Is it really no wonder I grew up hating you? I've been working on this since my eighth summer; I had to do something to prove I was just as good as you, if not better."

' _So that's Ruth's story..._ ' Ragna thought to himself with a sigh. "Still, that doesn't excuse what a dick you've been this whole time."

"I wouldn't think so, but at least you can see where I'm coming from," Ruth told him. "So if you won't help me, at least help the village that seems to love you so much."

"Fine, fine, you've made your point," Ragna told him with a groan. "Consider the hatchet buried or whatever, It's not like I ever had a bone to pick with you in the first place."

"...If we're both being honest; I still hate you," Ruth told him before smirking. "And I don't think that's ever going to change."

"At least you're being forward," Ragna said with a sigh as his old rival left the orphanage. "Looks like I can still make things complicated, even when I'm not trying to... Well, not like I can get killed by it or anything..." Sighing to himself the Reaper looked back at the Orphanage that he'd grown up in as his stomach gave a small rumble. "Unkillable or not, I still gotta eat..."

Heading back inside the church, Ragna saw that everyone had been joined at the dinner table and everyone was about to wrap up dinner, Eric telling the occasional story while a couple of the orphans laughed at the sheer oddity. Ragna also noticed that Silvana who was trying to eat calmly to herself was being bugged by a couple of the kids, now asking if she could really use magic. Naoto was also being bothered, but it didn't look like it was anything that he couldn't handle, albeit somewhat awkwardly. Ragna dearly hoped that the Orphanage still had some diner left; dealing with them all and their countless questions on an empty stomach was hardly something he'd consider fun.

' _Well let's do this...'_ Ragna said as he finally stepped into the kitchen room and revealed himself. The orphans of the church took a moment to notice him, but when they did the orphanage was quickly filled with silence as they stared at the changed Reaper before them. "...Why don't you paint a picture; it'll last longer." Continued silence. "...Hello? Anyone ho-"

"RAGNA!" came the shout from several orphans. The Reaper barely had time to brace himself before he took a nearly crippling tackle from several children of the orphanage. The Reaper was lucky that more excitable also meant smaller as he didn't have to put up with too much weight at the several children that were clinging to him with their hugs. It was then he was hit with the barrage of questions.

"How'd you get so big?"

Where did you find that coat?"

"Can you make one for me?"

"Is that your sword?"

"One at a time, one at time!" the Reaper shouted, but to no avail as the questions just kept coming as was the strain on his body from being gripped by all of the youths. Ragna gave a sad sigh as he looked at the kids, knowing he was in for an exhausting night. Still... it didn't hurt to be back.

 _The Next Day_

"So... this is what you were talking about," Naoto said from where he sat upon the stone wall. The youth was still holding onto his wooden practice sword tightly, refusing to ever go far without it.

"Yep, this is what I was getting at," Eric told him smugly as he crossed his arms and leaned against said wall, watching as the scene played out before the two.

"I'm telling you for the last time, he's going to be coming of to my house for dinner tonight!" Sora shouted as she fiercely clung to Ragna's left arm.

"The other have missed him for months and you want to take him from us!?" Lilith shouted in return as she gripped Ragna's right arm. "We're going to have dinner together and Ragna's offered to help make it!"

"Hold it tomorrow night! I already made plans with him and my family!"

"You hold it tomorrow! At least I'm not trying to hog him for myself!"

With the two cooks shouting at each other and a line of sparks seeming to show between their absolutely heated glares, Ragna would likely be planting his palm square upon his face at this very moment, were his arms not otherwise occupied with his two aficionados. For now, he could do little more than give an awkward smile and hope that their duel of hearts ended soon. The Reaper was at least relieved that he'd changed out of his new coat and black clothing so that they weren't stretched and was now wearing some basic village wool clothing that he'd crafted last night. He still carried his bastard sword on him with the straps around his new clothing.

"So he just stands there and listens to them do that in front of him?" Naoto asked in concern.

"Normally yeah, I mean there was one time where Emily actually tried to break the four of 'em up... It didn't end well," Eric said darkly as he thought back to the day.

"Three of them?" Naoto asked. "How is this Ragna's fault?"

"It isn't, there's just another girl that usually a part of this; Hilda," Eric explained. "Of course she couldn't be here today because she's still in school while the other two are free as can be with their duties as cooks. It didn't stop her from trying to skip class when she'd heard he'd returned though."

"Why are they so crazy about him though?" Naoto asked.

"Wish I knew, but I hope it's not the silver hair; I'm not willing to go that far to get some attention of my own," Eric told him with a chuckle. "Speaking of which, man to man; which one would you go for?"

"Neither, I don't have time for girls," the youth told the axe user. Eric was surprised at both Naoto's tone and his words, only noticing that Naoto was gripping his practice sword even tighter for some reason.

"Hey, don't get all moody on me," Eric told him, his own tone serious enough to break Naoto out of his own state. The youth worriedly glanced at the older boy as he worried that he did something wrong, but the next moment Eric's serious face turned to a playful smile. "That's supposed to be Ragna's job."

"R-Right..." Naoto said still caught a little off guard.

"Are you two enjoying the show?" came a familiar voice. "Move over and make some room for me."

"H-Hello Emily," Naoto said to her as the huntress leaped up to take her seat on the wall on the far side of Eric.

"So, how was last night with the family?" Eric asked.

"Meh, my dad was acting like such a worry-wort the entire time, like he doesn't know that I already have to put my life on the line every time I go hunting."

"You bring that up and he'll just try to keep you from hunting in the first place," Eric reminded.

"Why did you think I made sure not to?" Emily asked rhetorically with a sigh before she looked at the girls and Ragna who was trying not to cringe as they continued to argue. "So how long-"

"Ten minutes," Eric told her.

"And Hilda?"

"School," Eric said, before looking at Naoto. "Which reminds me, starting tomorrow you're going to be in school as well."

"What? But what about you guys!?" Naoto asked worriedly.

"I'm usually out hunting during the day, so I'm already putting my work in," Emily told him.

"And I was out tending the fields during harvest, so I've got an out too," Eric explained with a smile. "C'mon kid, even Silvana's taking classes now. It can't be so bad."

"I never liked school... It was only cause of my sister that I ever managed to learn anything," Naoto told them both sadly. "But I don't want to go to school anyways, I want to learn how to use a sword."

"Woah kid, that's still a long ways off for you," Eric told him.

"So that's why I want to learn from Ragna!" he shouted at both of them. "And... he'll be leaving soon for who knows how long."

"...Tell you what, I'll make a little bet with you," Eric told him with a smile as he gestured to Ragna and the girls. "If you can break that up, Emily and I will find a way to keep you out of classes until we leave? Deal?"

"Deal," Naoto said as he leaped off of the wall and headed over to the commotion.

"...You didn't need to be cruel to him," Emily told him with a smirk.

"Who ever said I was; I'm giving him a chance after all," the axe user told her.

"Right and that chance is how small exactly?" the huntress questioned.

"...Larger than you think apparently," Eric said. Confused, Emily turned her head back to the scene in play, watching in awe as Lilith and Sora both seemed to have let go of Ragna's arms and were departing without complaint, though they both looked a tad disappointed. "The little kid has more charm than we give him credit for."

Naoto was smiling from ear to ear as he made his triumphant return while Ragna just gave a relived groan as he made his way over.

"We had a deal right?" Naoto said happily as he looked from Eric to Emily, both having darkness cast over their faces.

"Aaron's going to kill you, you know?" Emily told Eric bluntly.

"Don't try to shift all of the blame on me; I said that _we_ would find a way," Eric told her.

"I never agreed to that."

"You never disagreed either."

"Do I even want to know?" Ragna demanded with a narrowed glare as he crossed his arms.

"They told me that if I managed to break those two up that they'd find a way to keep me out of school until you leave," Naoto told him proudly before noticing Ragna's harsher glare upon Emily and Eric. "I... I can do it can't I?"

"Naoto... you need to attend the elder's lessons," Ragna told him. "Look, stuff like this is important."

"But... but they promised... and I still want to learn how to use a sword," Naoto told him sadly. "It's just until you leave..."

"There's no telling how long that's going to be, I might be here for an entire week..." Ragna told the youth. The devastated child looked like he was close to tears, making the Reaper submit rather quickly. "Alright, alright... I'll talk to Aaron and we'll try to figure something out."

"Promise?" Naoto asked him.

"Yeah, yeah, kid, I promise... Jeeze, and I thought the puppy dog eyes you gave the girls were convincing enough..." Ragna muttered. "Now... how the hell am I going to put this to the old man?"

 _Later -The Church Library-_

"Absolutely not," Aaron told Ragna with a scowl as he, the Reaper, and Silvana sat in the church's library. The young half-elf wasn't exactly there to join in the conversation, more so to catch up on her reading while the others argued with one another.

"C'mon old man. It's not going to be forever, just until I head off," Ragna tried to defend.

"My answer is still no, that child will be attending the lessons starting tomorrow," the priest insisted. "I'm not about to let one of the children of my orphanage skip their teachings just because they managed to settle one of your petty affairs."

"I already told you, that wasn't my fault!" Ragna exclaimed bitterly.

"And yet here you are; sitting before me and asking to take him out of classes," Aaron said before shaking his head. "Why do you even bother? If Emily and Eric had only asked me I would have told them off and have been done with all of this."

"Kind of the reason why I'm here; I'm probably the only one with a chance of convincing you," Ragna told him. "Look, the kid's already pretty smart for his age; he knows his numbers, he can add and subtract, and he's able to read a bit. What's the problem?"

"The problem is that wooden sword he's carrying," Aaron told Ragna with a scowl. "...Have you taught him how to use it?"

"...Just a couple of basics while we were on the road," the Reaper admitted. "Look, he was still hit hard after having to watch what happened to his family. This was something to keep his mind off of it."

"Was it?" Aaron asked. "Or is the child just developing the starting thoughts of revenge?"

"That's not where this is going; trust me the kid's nothing like that," Ragna told him with a glare. "He's not doing this sort of thing just for the sake of killing or for some useless honor crap; he just wants to be able to save people like I saved him. Can you really blame him for that?"

"Perhaps not, but that still won't excuse him from classes," Aaron told Ragna with a scowl.

"Can't I just teach 'im? I mean I can make sure he knows how to read for one thing. No offense to the elder, but he might get more learning from me anyways."

"The lessons are important, but at this point they're only secondary," Aaron told him. "Naoto's close to your group, but how well will he fare once you leave the village? Having him spend time with the others will prepare him for when you leave. If he continues to only spend his time with the four of you, how well will he manage to fare when you're gone?"

"Old man..." Ragna growled, slowly reaching his wits end.

"Aaron makes... Good points," Silvana admitted from where she was reading her book. Taking another look at the young half-elf another idea started to form inside Ragna's mind.

"Hear me out on this..." Ragna told Aaron. The priest nodded, letting him know that he'd reserve his judgment until Ragna finished. "Back before I left, you had me taking care of Silvana and that worked out okay. I mean, some of the people still like her to this day, even after the whole... incident at the festival."

"Ruth's fault," the half-elf input with a pout.

"I know, I know, but that's not what I'm getting at. What I'm getting at is when I was taking care of Silvana, she spent a lot of time around the town and got to know the people and learned a lot in the process. She played with 'em, cooked with Lilith a few times, read some stories and even learned a thing or two about foraging from Emily. Why can't I do that with Naoto? Hell, he'd probably learn even more than if he was stuck in the elder's lessons."

"...You may have a point," Aaron was forced to admitted. "However, you told me that Ruth would need you on guard duty until the other guards he hired made their way to the town. Wouldn't watching Naoto interfere with that?"

"It's less _I'm a member of the town guard_ and more _I'll be there to help if there's ever a threat to the village_ ," the Reaper told the priest. "Naoto will be fine, and I'll make sure to keep the town safe while I'm here. It's not going to be a problem."

"I hope you're right," the bearded old man said before he gave a relenting sigh. "Very well, you can spend your time with him if your so adamant about it, but I want the results you told me about Ragna, otherwise I'll put him back into the elder's class immediately. Understood?"

"A chance is all I'm asking for," Ragna told him.

"Though, there is something that I found odd the more I thought of it," Aaron admitted. "You already told me about saving Naoto from the goblins, but why did you end up going to his town in the first place?"

"I was asked to help out be a guy named Kagura in Trudalla after he found out what had happened in the village," Ragna explained.

"I see... and was that before or after your... change?"

"Before," Silvana told him truthfully.

"Which then begs the question, how did this Kagura character know of your skills to begin with?"

Despite being at a crossroads and the possibility of receiving yet another lecture from his old caretaker, Ragna decided to take the honest road. "Because I beat him in the _Holy Horizon_ qualifiers, won the whole qualifier round in fact." Aaron's expression a rare one of shock and surprise as he stared at Ragna, trying to see if he was being serious or not.

"You've had no formal training aside from teaching yourself, your body was bolstered substantially in the few days you've been gone, and now you're telling me that you were able to win the first few matches for the largest tournament the kingdom will ever see in our lifetime?"

"So you did know about this thing," Ragna muttered.

"Of course, I was taught of many of this kingdom's traditions in my days as a priest in training," Aaron told him, causing Ragna to finally realize that Aaron had to be taught about the church's workings by someone. "But are you serious? You managed to win the qualifier round in Trudalla against the countless others who must have been training for years to participate?"

"Yeah, that's the truth," Ragna admitted.

"Met prince... and princess... with Emily... at ball," Silvana told them, uncomfortable with how much she was forced to stretch out her sentence. Aaron's deep gaze at Ragna was unreadable, not even his eyes showing any signs of emotion.

"...I've raised you since you were left on my doorstep on a cold and rainy night," Aaron told him. "You had just been born with your mother's life rope still on you underneath the swaddle... Even since I first saw you, I've always seen that there was something different about you from the other child. The way you talked, the way you acted, and even the way you learned defied anything I had ever seen before in either child or adult... Ragna, be honest with me... who are you?"

"I wish I knew..." Ragna told him seriously. ' _It's only half a lie at least, I still have no idea how all of all of this goes together._ '"You don't think I'm some kind of freak do you?"

"Never, not once in my life; I've just had more difficulty understanding you at certain times," Aaron admitted. "So... who did you chose to try and represent in the tournament?"

"Reslavia, obviously. I thought you'd know me better than that by now old timer," Ragna accused as Aaron raised his hands in his own defense. "So if I make it through the tournament, I'll be a _Paladin Lord_ for this church?"

"Possibly, it depends on how well you do in the final round and the gods or goddesses the other contestants chose to follow," Aaron explained. "In the final round there will be seven participants left and you'll each have the choice of what deity you want to represent. The winner of the tournament chooses their deity first, followed by second place choosing theirs, and so on and so forth. I'm surprised you're planning on going that far."

"Haven't decided yet," Ragna admitted. "I'm mainly heading to the second round only because I made a promise to Kagura that I'd help 'em through that one."

"Tch, so your obligations only go so far as the promises you personally make then?" Aaron questioned. "Why am I surprised, it fits you perfectly Ragna... Just make sure you stay out of trouble, the churches aren't known for the forgiveness and their treatment towards heretics can be... severe."

' _...Is he speaking from experience?_ ' Ragna thought to himself, but only nodded at the advice before rising to his feet. "We're done here then..."

"You're leaving? I thought we'd be eating soon," the priest asked with confusion.

"When Naoto saved me earlier, he made false dinner plans for me... which I'm going to have to make good on if I'm going to avoid those two getting into another fight."

"The shackles of popularity don't fit well upon you," the priest said with a rare trace of whimsy. "Who's to have you as their dining partner tonight then?"

"Emily's family... and something tells me that I'm in for a night of questions," Ragna said with a small groan as he made his way out of the library.

"...Pity him?" Silvana asked the priest.

Aaron smirked. "Not in the slightest..."

 _That Evening -Emily's House-_

' _Dammit, there's more tension here than when I was dining with the royalty,'_ Ragna thought to himself with as he was seated at the family table next to Emily. On the other side of the two sat Emily's younger brother Ludor, her mother Elizabeth, and her father Joshua.

Ludor was clearly the easiest of them to deal with, seeing Ragna almost as a short extension of his family given the time the Reaper had been known to spend with his sister. While Elizabeth had never done anything to slight Ragna personally, given the... awkward beginnings he'd had with her, the Reaper just found her hard to be around. And then there was Emily's father Joshua, the overprotective father of the bunch. Even since they'd been kids, Joshua had always seen Ragna as a bad influence on his daughter; like he was solely responsible for making her start taking risks and having a much more adventurous spirit. When Emily had decided to leave the Elder's classes so that she could start hunting, Joshua had seen fit to lecture the both of them even though the decision had been largely Emily's.

"...Thanks for having me?" Ragna began awkwardly, not really sure where to begin in that situation.

"It's always nice to see you Ragna, it's actually a shame you don't visit more often," Elizabeth told the Reaper before she smiled brightly. "Though its a surprise you've grown so much in the short time since you've left the village. I bet you've been having a hard time keeping the girls away from you."

A slight blush lit up on the Reaper's face. "Not exactly..."

"Tch, he's still denying it," Emily muttered before taking a sip of her mother's stew.

"So how'd you get so big in the first place?" Ludor asked with excitement in his eyes. "C'mon tell me. I'm tired of being so small compared to some of the bigger kids. Was it magic?"

"Not a clue," Ragna told him. "It just... happened really... A lot of the priests were making a big deal about it though."

"What, did they start to think you were a demon?" Joshua demanded, leaving Ragna annoyed at himself that he'd brought it up in the first place. "...Not saying that you are, but if they think you are and my daughter is tied to you-"

"Dad! I've been fine, they didn't do anything that bad to him anyways," Emily exclaimed at her father. "Though... they really didn't know what to think about him; first they thought the gods had punished him when he passed out, then they though they'd blessed him when he woke up with his new body just to save face."

"Mind your manners Emily; they're still holy men," Elizabeth chided.

"Yeah, well I've learned not all holy men are as warmhearted as the old man," Ragna muttered.

"I never said that they were," Emily's mother admitted. "But, have you been fighting with the church?"

"More like he's been fighting for them actually," the huntress admitted. "He entered this big tournament and if he gets far enough in it he can actually be chosen to represent one of the Churches."

"You're serious? That's awesome!" Ludor exclaimed, giving a massive smile at Ragna. "So you'll be really important then?"

"Aren't I already?" the Reaper joked. "But, I mean it's still a long way off and I don't have any idea how long this thing is really supposed to take."

"You're still going to look after my daughter though, right?" Joshua demanded. "The only reason I even considered letting my daughter go in the first place is because I trusted that you, Eric, and the merchants would look after her, but if you're going to be in a tournament-"

"I'll be there for her when she needs me, and I think Emily's capable of taking care of herself," Ragna assured.

"So she's been telling us," the guardsman admitted. "She won't tell us the trouble she's gotten into though."

"She almost took my eye out for one thing," Ragna admitted, surprising the rest of the table.

"We were training!" Emily shouted.

"You were still using actual arrows," he told her with a grimace.

"I need to keep using my bow! I'm not nearly as good with a sword as you are!"

"Which means you still need to work on using one," Ragna retaliated calmly. It was then that the two noticed Elizabeth giggling to herself. "What's so funny?"

"The two of you; you both fight like you're a married couple," Emily's mother told them as a matter-of-fact.

"Like hell!" the two shouted with clear blushes upon their faces before realizing that they had done so simultaneously, glanced at each other, then turned away with embarrassment.

"If they were married, wouldn't Ragna be my older brother?" Ludor asked hopefully.

"In a way, and if they got married maybe they'd at least decide to settle down and live a quite life," Joshua decided.

"YOU'RE ALRIGHT WITH IT!?" the two shouted again, once more realizing that they had spoken out in unison. Elizabeth giggled at the display of the two while Ludor laughed at their expressions. Ragna didn't say anything, only continuing to eat and quite nearly wishing that he'd just taken Hilda and Sora's fighting earlier.

 _The Next Morning -Orphanage-_

 _ **A Fitting Second**_

"Naoto. Naoto! It's time to get up," Ragna said as he tried to awaken the youth by gently shaking him. "Come on, up and at 'em."

"Ragna?" Naoto muttered as he slowly raised his head from his head from his bed and opened his eyes. "Why are you making me get up when it's dark out?"

"Aaron said I could teach you instead of sending you to the Elder's lessons, so we're getting started early," Ragna told the youth. Excitement in his eye, Naoto's hand immediately went for his practice sword. "Whoa now, you're not going to be needing that until later."

"Then why did you bother waking me up before anyone else was even up?" Naoto asked with a groan.

"Because there's a lot more that I can teach you besides how to use a sword," Ragna told him with a smirk. "Come on, get you clothes on and I'll put you to work."

 _'Put me to work?'_ Naoto thought with worry,but complied none the less. Soon the two were outside in the chilly and dark morning. "Now what?"

"See that water barrel?" Ragna asked and Naoto nodded. "Your first job's going to be to fill it with water from the well. You'll find the bucket next to it. Try not to spill to much or you'll have to make a couple of extra trips."

"Filling the water bucket? But that's easy," Naoto complained.

"Then go ahead and get started, it shouldn't take you too long with that attitude," Ragna told him with a smirk. "I'm gonna chop some fire wood so come and find me when you're done."

Halfway through the project, Naoto was starting to wish that he'd keep his mouth shut. Since the orphanage was outside of town trips between the well and the water barrel were longer than he would've liked. Adding to the fact that the church was on a hill on the town borders so ever time he filled a bucket up with water it would be a long trek uphill in order to dump it in the barrel. If he didn't fill the bucket up far enough he'd barely fill any of the barrel, but filling it too much it would be hard to carry and easy for the water to spill. He eventually got the thing filled, but by then the sun was starting to rise.

"That... sucked..." he moaned as he dropped the empty bucket and tried to catch his breath. He was about to head over to the firewood pile, but then noticed that Ragna was actually sitting on top of the church's roof with Silvana. "I thought you were chopping fire wood!"

"Quiet kid, there's no need to wake the whole orphanage," Ragna muttered before he leaped off of the roof and landed in front of Naoto. Normally the youth would be startled, but he was too upset and exhausted to care. "I finished up a while ago anyways... not bad though."

"It was a pain to do," Naoto groaned. "So... what's next?"

"Breakfast," the Reaper told him. Naoto gave a sigh of relief, at least he could get a break while Lilith prepared the meals and- "So, know how to cook?"

"Eh?" the youth asked with fearful eyes.

"Cooking, know anything about it?" the Reaper asked a second time. Naoto shook his head, terrified. "Figures, but now it's time for you to start learning."

"B-But I thought that only the women were supposed to cook!" Naoto exclaimed.

' _Sometimes I forget about the backwards thinking of this era,_ ' Ragna thought to himself mournfully. "If that's the case, what do you think you're supposed to do if you're on the road and there's not a woman in sight? Starve? Men can learn to cook just like a woman can learn how to work the fields. Nothing stopping you from learning."

Naoto didn't offer a response only waiting and watching as Silvana descended from the roof using her wind magic. "Ragna... Want help?"

"Maybe tomorrow Silvana, today I'm just going to be teaching Naoto the basics of how to cook," the Reaper told her. Silvana looked slightly disappointed, but nodded in understanding. "Come on kid, let's get started."

Heading into the kitchen the two saw Lilith getting the supplies ready for the meal. The cook then noticed the two with an expression of slight surprise. "Oh Ragna, are you going to help with breakfast today?"

"Yeah, but I'm actually trying to show Naoto the ropes of cooking, mind if the kid joins in the next couple of days?" the Reaper asked.

"If it's for you Ragna, anyone can join in if they want," the cook told him happily. Naoto looked up at the Reaper in question of his supposed popularity, but Ragna didn't seem to notice. "Well if you two can grab some fire wood for us, we'll get started."

"You heard her kid, there's some fresh chopped fire wood in the back," Ragna said with a smirk. Naoto sighed as he headed off, starting to wonder if they'd ever get around to the sword lessons.

The rest of the day proceeded very much the same way with Ragna issuing different chores or even lessons to Naoto. After breakfast, he'd begun teaching the youth from the books in Aaron's library, trying to complete his ability to read. Then they moved on to preparing lunch, then cleaning the laundry with Hilda and Sora, then a practice run around the village. By the time Ragna finally thrust the practice sword into Naoto's hands, the youth was physically and mentally exhausted.

"Come on," Ragna told him as he held a regular branch in his own hands for their lesson behind the church. "This is what you spent all day trying to get to isn't it?"

"I know! It was just a pain to get here!" Naoto said as he tried to keep his arms steady.

"I was doing the exact same thing when I was your age kid," the Reaper informed the youth. "Now, let's see what you can do." With a challenging shout, Naoto rushed forward and tried to hit Ragna head on, only for the Reaper's branch to find itself pointed at the youth's neck. "Too straight forward; charging in like that if you haven't developed your speed is a good way to get killed." Growling Naoto nodded and stepped back while Ragna brought his sword back. Naoto tried approaching slower this time, trying to keep his eyes on Ragna sword and arms keeping himself ready. When he thought he saw and opening he stepped into a powerful swing.

"YAAAH-WHAT THE-!?"

Only to see his perspective of the his opponent change to a clear view of the sky as he was swept. cleanly off his feet before landing on his back with a dull thud. Naoto groaned as he looked up, seeing Ragna standing patiently and waiting for him to get up. Slowly rising, Naoto kept his hands on the blade as he slowly stumbled to his feet.

"Mind your footing, you won't last long otherwise," Ragna told the young swordsman-in-training. The taller of the two went for an overhead slash which Naoto raised his sword to block, but Ragna stopped the slash and tried to sweep Naoto feet. Seeing this the youth stepped back, only to to weaving to the right at just the right time to dodge Ragna stab forward followed by barely being able to block Ragna's second overhand strike. "Not bad... again."

The two then continued to spar for the better part of the evening, by the time the two were finished Naoto's was on the ground, barely able to move, and covered in sweat. His practice sword already had several nicks in it, none of which where deep but showed the rough use it had just endured. Ragna's own branch was of poorer wood and was badly cracked across, but he assured himself that finding another would be of little trouble.

"Sun's already starting to set," Ragna muttered as he looked down to the heavily breathing form of Naoto. "You didn't do half bad for your first day."

"First... day?" Naoto huffed as he slowly sat up from the ground, groaning at the minor welts and bruises he'd gotten in their duel. "How long's this going to go on for?"

"Long enough, you'll need to be helping out after I leave," Ragna told him before placing his hand upon the youth's hand and glancing around. Making sure that no one else was watching, he allowed his hand to once again before engulfed in flames as Naoto's minor wounds slowly began to close. "Naoto, what do you think of this village and orphanage?"

"They're okay I guess," Naoto said as he sat calmly, trying to ignore the sting as Ragna forced his wounds to heal with his Azure. "I mean, everyone seems really nice to me... even Aaron doesn't seem that bad when you get to know him."

"He's actually a big softy when you get to know him," the Reaper admitted with a chuckle as he finished his work and brought Noel to his feet. "And the work? How bad was it?"

"It was... tough," the youth admitted.

"Try to get used to it though..." Ragna admitted. "...When I'm out of here, I need someone to stay behind to watch the village... And that's going to be your job."

"My job?" Naoto asked as he looked at the Reaper with a sense of wonder. "B-But why me?"

"I dunno, gotta put my faith in _someone_ don't I?" Ragna told him before smirking. "You've still got a bit to learn, but I can make sure you're good and ready before I go. You still up for it?"

"Of course!" Naoto said before his stomach grumbled. "Ugh..."

"Go on and head head in," Ragna said before sniffing the air. "Smells like Lilith's making her special recipe. Get yourself washed up kid, I'll see you in a bit..."

"Got it!" Naoto said before running off. Ragna watched the youth depart with a genuine smile upon his face, confident that he'd be able to leave the village in good hands soon enough.

 _ **Partnership Rank 2 Obtained with Naoto Kurogane**_

"Kid's got some spunk to him, that much is obvious," Ragna thought to himself with a chuckle before he glanced at his makeshift branch which was falling apart. "His sword work could be good too, if I give it some time... Hmm?"

Glancing over his shoulder Ragna saw Eric standing heading over towards him and his best friend didn't appear to be smiling for once, in fact he looked grimly serious.

 _ **A Trust of Foundlings**_

"Who the hell took a crap in your food?" Ragna asked as he crossed his arms.

"...Where's Naoto?" Eric asked him, not bothering to answer Ragna's question.

"Inside, washing up for supper," Ragna told the axe user before giving a small sigh and a small smile to his friend. "They'll probably save a little food for both of us. Let's go for a walk..."

"Yeah, that sounds good," Eric agreed just as seriously.

The two then headed off down the short dirt path that lead from the orphanage to the town below. It wasn't going to be that long of a walk, but Ragna hadn't planned on going to far in the first place. As he walked he decided it was time to address the issue at hand.

"So... what's eating you?" Ragna decided to finally ask.

"Do you think I'm slowing you down?" Eric finally decided to ask. The Reaper didn't speak. "It's alright if you think I am; I can take the truth."

"...You're just starting out," Ragna told him. "Trust me, considering you've barely been taught how to use an axe you managed to do pretty well, especially against that bandit group we had to deal with on the road. A little more traveling and you'll be even better."

"Yeah... but give me a year and I get the feeling that you'd still be worried about me," Eric admitted with his own sad smile. "Trust me, you've never made any sense. The girls in town were doing everything that they could to get your attention, but you weren't doing anything to take advantage of it."

"Wait, they were?" Ragna asked, sounding earnest. Eric was stupefied as he looked at his best friend, only for Ragna to break out into a smirk. "Yeah, I noticed... I'm not _that_ dense."

"Kind of a surprise honestly," Eric told him with a groan as Ragna chuckled. "I've done some thinking, and... Well, I'm thinking about staying here when you head off again."

"You're serious?" Ragna asked as the two came to a stop. "What brought this idea on?"

"For one thing, the fact that I won't risk a heart attack every time you talk to someone of the nobility," the axe user told him, leading Ragna to scratch the back of his head guiltily. "Also, looks like I was missed by the orphanage a lot more than I thought; I'm sort of worried about Aaron and the other kids, especially if Ruth's going to start building up and changing the village as we know it... Someone has to look out for them."

' _Kind of what I was trying to get Naoto to do,_ ' Ragna thought, but didn't comment that. "If that's what you want to do, go ahead."

"You're not upset?" Eric questioned.

"Nah, everyone's got their own thing that they're trying to do; if you think your place is here helping the village, it's not my place to get in your way," the Reaper told him. "Just promise me you'll be careful, don't want to come back here and find out that something happened to you."

"Hey, I'm the careful one between us. You're the one I'm worried about; pissing off the royal family and all," Ruth said as the two friends shared a small chuckle. "I'll be here when you come back to visit; that's a promise."

 _ **Partnership Rank 1 Established with Eric**_

"So... what about Emily?" Ragna asked as the two began heading back to orphanage. "Any ideas what she's thinking of doing?"

"Not at the moment, but my guess is she's going to try to stick with you, even if I'm staying behind," the axe user told him. "Haven't told her my plans yet though, but I guess that can wait for later."

"Don't wait to long, but for now let's head back and try to get some food from Lilith," Ragna told him as the two started making their way back to the orphanage. "So, thinking about finding a job around the town then?"

"Maybe, I think I'd do pretty well if I were to join the town guard," Eric decided. "I doubt Aaron would exactly approve, but maybe I could at least be confident I was doing my part to keep the town safe. What about you; what would you do if you had to stay behind?"

"Probably the same, a quite life doesn't sound like it'd suit me," the Reaper admitted.

"Heh, you have that right," Eric agreed.

 _The Next Morning_

"You're getting better at your reading kid; only had about half the mistakes that you made yesterday," Ragna told Naoto as the two exited the churches library. Naoto's schedule today was proceeding much like what had happened the day prior, the only difference so far having been today he'd chopped firewood instead of gathering water. "So... on to the next task..."

"Laundry?" Naoto guessed.

"Nah, we did that yesterday," Ragna admitted. "Let's see..."

"You could teach me some more sword-work," Naoto asked hopefully.

"Later, that's the deal remember?" the Reaper denied with a smirk. "Nice try though.'

"Darn..." Naoto groaned. "We could go and spend some time with Emily right?"

"She's probably still out hunting, I'll have her teach you about foraging another day," Ragna told the youth as he thought. "Actually, there's one thing I can have you do."

"What's that?" Naoto asked with curiosity.

"You know your way into town right?" Ragna asked leaving Naoto to nod. "Good, head that way and you should find the other children coming out of the elder's lesson right now. For now I want you to go and spend some time with 'em; play some games, run around, that sorta thing."

"I thought you were supposed to be teaching me," Naoto argued. "That or putting me to work."

"Yeah, but all of that work you do won't matter if the town doesn't know who to thank," Ragna explained to him. "Just try to talk to them, they're not bad people and they don't bite."

"You never talked to anyone while we were on the road," Naoto told him with a scowl. "In fact most of the time it looked like you were trying to avoid attention."

"That's because... Well, just take this as one instance I'm not leading via example. Just go and have some fun, I'll come grab you when it's time to move on for the next part."

"Alright, alright," Naoto eventually relented as he started walking off. It didn't look like he was exactly happy that he needed to be separated from his role-model, but with Aaron's orders to make sure that Naoto would be prepared when Ragna left the village, he'd need to spend at least some time without the Reaper.

With Naoto going off on his own, Ragna decided it was time to address a problem he'd been having as of late. Heading into the forest, the Reaper eventually found his old training spot. Taking his bastard-sword out of its leather sheath the Reaper then gave the sword a powerful swing, cutting through a tree with ease and even managing to topple one of the ones behind it with the force of the shock-wave.

 _'That's not looking too bad, still could use some work though,'_ the Reaper thought to himself before looking at his sword. Placing the blade against his palm, the Reaper made a quick and clean cut into his flesh. The cut itself wasn't exactly deep, but he figured this would be a good way to judge if his healing factor had improved at all... it hadn't.

"Great, that's still a problem," Ragna thought aloud as he channeled his azure into his hand... only to see that it wasn't healing any quicker. Scowling he continued to try, only for the wound to close slowly via his weakened healing factor. The Reaper then turn sweat the arm upward and unleashed a powerful _Sapphire Spike_ on a nearby tree, only to that it had taken a small chunk out of it at best. He gave a growl as he saw that his Azure's combat usage had actually _decreased_ substantially. Hoping that maybe he'd get more use if he didn't try to incorporate his old style into his usage of Azure, he channeled his power before firing a raw blast of the power into on of the other trees, with no noticeable results.

"Tch, so the Azure made me taller and bulked my body, but now I can barely use it otherwise. This is starting to piss me off. Is that bitch Pandora responsible for this shit? No, it's gotta be that place that I was sent to before I woke up like this, but what even was that hell hole?"

Ragna shook his head before he crossed his arms and leaned against one of the trees. He then looked up at the cloud sky above him. While the weather wasn't that bad now, sooner or later winter would show it's ugly face to the world. Ragna had never liked the cold much back in his home world, but here he absolutely despised it. There was no way to escape it... it was everywhere. Ragna continued to stare into the sky above.

"Maybe I should head to the Mage's guild after all. Attacking without any form of strong magic ain't gonna cut it without being used to this body" the Reaper eventually told himself before glancing to his still cut hand. "For now I'm gonna have to rely on what physical attacks I have and hope that I don't get messed up to bad while my healing factors gone to hell."

Knowing that Naoto still had sometime left with the other children, Ragna attempted to work with his azure once more. Channeling his power into his fist before rushing forward, Ragna let the energy carry him into his attack. While the rush was powerful and it swept a strong breeze through out the area, it didn't carry him nearly as far, nor did it carry even half the power that he'd had earlier. He tried adjusting his channeling and attacked again only to find similar results; the increase in power was either non-existent or unnoticeable and he only gained a few inches in rush length at best.

"Guess I'll need to practice whenever I have any free time to myself," Ragna muttered aloud as he walking. "This is going to be a pain in the-" A sudden and thunderous _crack_ was heard behind him. Quickly glancing behind him, Ragna saw that one of the trees exploded with great force, sending chunks of wood around the area. Glance closer, he realized that the tree was the same one that he'd fired a blast into before he'd tried to work on his _Blue Fang_ technique.

"So I can unintentionally make my azure into a time bomb," Ragna thought to himself with a sigh. "Damn it, the more I try to get this thing under control, the more I realize that I understand that I know next to nothing about it . If I'm going to be able to use this thing to get into the _Mage's Guild_ then I'm going to need to work on using this thing whenever I've got time to... Dammit, no reasonable rest for me."

 _Time Skip_

 _How right he'd be; over the next few days Ragna's days were almost entirely filled up with either teaching Naoto about the village, helping out himself wherever he could, or be forced to give up his own time to spend it with the residences of the village. Even when some days should have been at an end for the Reaper, he'd be forced to take a turn standing guard around the town to protect it for the night. It wasn't that Ruth was forcing him to do the work... more that he was becoming nervous as the building process progressed._

 _Naoto certainly wasn't squandering what time he had with Ragna, using all of his remaining stamina after whatever chores Ragna had put him through that day. He was learning much from the Reaper and not just in sword arts either. The youth had since become able to make a few simple dishes by himself and had managed to nearly master the art of reading books without assistance. Emily had also stepped in teaching the brown haired orphan several techniques in foraging from the woods._

 _Things had more or less returned to the way they'd been when Ragna was still part of the village, which wasn't to surprising since (again) he'd been gone for less than a week. As the work around town proceeded, the workers and Ruth found the first fruits of their labor..._

"Citizens of Galevon! As winter approaches, I'm pleased to announce the opening of our first Inn! Now travelers from across the kingdom while find themselves a place to stay during the dark and harsh nights, bringing more coin and prosperity to our city!" There were a few cheers from the townspeople that had been gathered around as Ruth made his announcement. The youth stood in front of the building with a his mother and father standing behind him, still faced and serious as ever. "Next! Onto the construction of our first bar!" That got everyone's attention and the cheers were at least five times as loud as the last time.

"Is alcohol all anyone ever cares about?" Emily asked in annoyance as she watched the Inn's opening from a distance. She and the others were either sitting on or leaning against the cow fences. "Seriously, what's the big deal with it in the first place."

"I keep telling you, you've got no idea what you're missing out on," Eric told her with a smile. "Heck with a new bar coming into town we'll have a decent selection of drinks from now on."

"Eric needs... Limit drinking," Silvana told the axe user with her usual monotone voice. "Not healthy."

"Hey, I haven't had a drink since we stopped at _Fortune Step's!_ " Eric defended himself. "Besides, there's nothing wrong with looking forward to your next drink, right Ragna?" No response. "Ragna?"

The man in question said nothing and didn't even appear to have heard Eric as he leaned again the cow fences with his arms crossed and his eyes closed tight. He breathing was light and unrestrained, making it seem like he'd fallen asleep. Eric was about to try and awaken him again before he was interrupted.

"Surprise attack!"

Leaping into the air, Naoto had his practice sword raised above his sword as he descended upon the Grim Reaper, finally having found and opening in his teacher defense. The sword sailed closer to Ragna's body, only for him to snatch it out of the air without difficulty. Naoto lurched in surprise as he saw that Ragna's eyes were still closed, nor did he seem to even strain himself as he tossed Naoto away effortlessly. As Naoto quickly rose and tried to rush forward, Ragna's own sword was out in a split second poised to stop Naoto his tracks.

"Nice try," the Reaper said as he strained to get a few pops out of his neck before sheathing the blade. "Sorry, just feeling a little tired."

"Big surprise, most days you haven't been getting back to the Orphanage until sunrise," Eric reminded him. "Are you still that worried about the town?"

"It's not that; I've just got this feeling that I haven't been able to shake off, some kind of premonition or something," Ragna told them as he let out yet another yawn. "And on top of that, those sell-swords that Ruth hired still haven't arrived yet."

"Hence why we haven't been able to leave yet," Emily said with a sigh.

"Having problems with your dad?" Ragna asked.

"He's still trying to convince me that staying behind is the right thing to do," Emily told him before glancing off in the distance. "But... he's been starting to act differently now whenever he brings it up, like he's got something that he wants to tell me."

"But he won't say what it is?" Ragna questioned. "Weird... Your family's never really been known for keeping secrets... You telling everyone what's on your mind is proof enough." That statement earned him a harsh glare from his redheaded friend. "Well, whatever... Hey kid, mind heading into the Elder's lesson for today? I'm gonna try to catch up on some sleep in the meantime."

"Can we still do sword training later?" Naoto asked, relieved when Ragna nodded. "Okay, I'll spend so time there, just for today."

"Just try to have a good attitude about it," Ragna told him before sighing and laying down on the grassy ground.

"You're just going to nap there?" Emily asked with surprise. "Next to the cow fences?"

"Yep, at this point I can fall asleep wherever I want to," Ragna told her before closing his eyes. "Just gonna rest my eyes for a couple of hours."

"I've lived in the same church as you for most of my life and I _still_ don't get you," Eric muttered.

"Join the club," the Reaper muttered as he continued to lie. Eventually, he managed to relax his eyes and rest his body completely only to fall into a deep sleep.

 _?_

"...Shit, this again?" Ragna said to himself. He was once more standing in front of the completed church from his first life. Glancing at his own person, he saw that he wasn't dressed in his original clothing; instead still carrying his increased muscle mass along with the uncompleted form of his red coat and sword, having apparently changed from his villagers garb. He also lacked gloves, showing that he still carried hands of flesh.

"What's the matter? I thought you liked this place." Glancing to the top of the church, Ragna found the hooded form of Pandora sitting a top the church roof. Despite the darkness her hood created, he could easily see her lips pursed in a sly smile. "Come, join me."

"...I'm not getting out of this damn vision if I don't, am I?" Ragna asked with a groan before effortlessly leaping to the top of the church's roof beside the enigmatic woman.

"Sit," the woman told him pleasantly. Ragna crossed his arms and remained standing, not in the mood for being treated like a dog. "Suit yourself then. Care for something to eat?"

"Why would it matter if I did? I can't really eat something in the middle of a dream and have a full stomach afterwards... can I?"

"Almost certainly not," Pandora told him before summoning a pear to her hand. "But I don't drink wine for nutrition, nor in hopes of become drunk like some of those slobs... No, I do it for the experience of enjoying something. So won't you try one with me?"

"Still pass," Ragna told her before he crossed his arms. "C'mon, can't you just tell me what you're here for and we can end this already?"

"When I just got here? You're an impatient one, were you hoping that you'd have a scandalous dream to get back to?" A slight blush hit Ragna's face. "No, what am I saying? You've been surrounded by pretty women this entire time and you've yet to make any effort to court them."

' _Kind of like how I was back in my home world,'_ the Reaper thought to himself. ' _Then again I doubt I've ever met a_ _normal_ _girl in either of my lives.'_ "...If I'm being honest-"

"I'd prefer that you were," Pandora said before she took a smile bite of her pear.

"Well... I haven't had a single dream since I got to this crazy place," Ragna told her.

"Since you-?"

"That last vision you pulled me into," Ragna told her, trying to save face. The truth was he hadn't had a single dream since he'd arrived in this new world as an infant. "I mean... I just don't dream, all I do is fall asleep then wake up after a few hours..."

"Odd, I've never heard of anything like that before," the enigmatic woman told him as she continued to chew on her pear. "That world is... mysterious; even I have little idea what it could possibly be and there's barely a piece of information that's ever outside my knowledge."

"You're talking like we're not there right now," Ragna noted as he took a look around. "So what? You made this place for me?"

"I thought it might be a good setting for the two of us to get to know each other," Pandora told him. "I felt like a good idea to get to know a person if I'm to make them a champion in my honor."

"Not happening Pandora. Besides, I'd make a terrible champion for you, whatever that would mean."

"Hmm... I doubt that very much; you've certainly proved that you're an able fighter," the hooded woman said to him with a playful smile upon her lips. "Besides, I don't see you having say in this matter along your road."

"Yeah, I've heard that one before," the Reaper muttered with a groan.

"Growing up inside a church devoted to the Goddess _of Choice?_ You've had someone tell you that you were left with no choice?" Pandora asked with a whimsical smile.

"You've never met my foster father... and quit spying on me," he added with a bitter anger brimming inside.

"Please, I only want to..." Pandora paused abruptly looking into the sky. She didn't say anything, only appearing to gaze further. "There's trouble approaching."

"Shit, there is?" Ragna thought as he drew his sword and glanced around the area.

"No, it's not here..." Pandora said with a sigh of disappointment. "Just when I was starting to make some significant progress with you. Such a bother... I guess I could keep you for just a little longer to-"

"Don't even think about it," Ragna told her with a harsh glare. "Get me the hell out of here already."

"...Spoil my fun why don't you," Pandora moaned before she waved her. "Off you go then... Do put on a good show, I'll be cheering you from the sidelines and watching your every move, Ragna."

"NO YOU WON'T! QUIT STALKING-!"

Without allowing Ragna to finished, the Reaper disappeared from the illusionary landscape. Pandora smirked to herself as she took another bite out of her pear. Her undiscovered quest was putting her in a far better mood than she thought it could, first imagining it'd be a dull and boring affair. At least her supposed champion was making things interesting for her.

 _Back to his Reality_

"-ME!" Ragna finished as he jolted from the ground he'd been lying upon. Glancing around his surrounding and his more casual villagers clothing, he realized that he was back in his world. Glancing up in the air he glanced at the sun's position and gave a small groan. "Dammit, that probably wasn't even an hour... Wait, what about the threat that-?"

"Ragna!" Emily shouted as she ran over to him her. Bow out and her quiver full of arrows. "Come on, get moving! There's something wrong over by the East Entrance! Most of the guards are headed that way in a hurry!"

"Wonderful," Ragna groaned as he quickly leaped to his feet and started running for the gates with Emily. "Where's Eric and Silvana?"

"Silvana's at the Orphanage with Aaron and Eric's trying to keep the other gate safe, but I don't know if we're going to have enough to defend the East one," Emily told him worried. "I don't know if we're going to have enough to keep the town safe."

' _Looks like I might have to try going all out,_ ' Ragna thought to himself with slight worry as the two approached the other side of the gate. Ragna saw many of the town guard was there (including Emily's father) armed and poised at the ready along with Ruth. Standing across from them was a filthy group of what appeared to be bandits, who also had their weapons drawn with daunting snarls upon their faces, but they didn't advance just yet. Ragna counted close to thirty of them, which outnumbered the twelve town guards placed at this gate. Gritting his teeth, Ragna made his way forward past the front lines.

"What are you doing!?" Joshua hissed at the Reaper.

"I'm finding out why they're here and getting 'em to leave," Ragna said with a scowl. "I doubt the lot of you are here to stay at the inn we just finished."

"Not on yer life," one of the bandits (apparently their leader) said to him. "We're here for a fair share a' yer... supplies. It's going ta be a cold winter, and methinks you've got plenty to share."

"Hardly," came Ruth's voice from behind the guard lines. He wasn't armed to fight, but Ragna figured that showing up here and talking back to a group of bandits at least showed _some_ courage. "We're going to need those supplies for the winter and you're not getting any of it unless you have the coin."

"What's this? Is a little piglet talking back to me? Is he the one that runs yer town!?" The bandits then delved in a bray of laughter. "Now all of you listen; we're kinder than most of our kind. Give us what we want and you'll all live to see another day, if not the maggots and worms will have a good feast tonight."

"...What is it that you want?" Ruth asked with rage. If he could give them a small enough share for now, he figured that when the mercenaries hired to protect the town arrived they could try to lay siege to their hideout and recover their supplies before they were eaten.

"Oh, let's say half the harvest and coin, four cattle, and..." The bandit gave a filthy and perverse grin. " _Eight_ of yer best women."

"...In your fucking dreams," Ragna said as he drew his sword. Despite having a tenancy to swear every other sentence (especially when he was pissed), language this intense was a rare occasion for him.

"Aw, thinking of fighting us? Your size don't scare us none when you're so outnumbered!" one of the bandits jeered at Ragna who said nothing. "Alright, how's about this for ya; what you see here is only half of us."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ruth demanded.

"Exactly what it sounds like piglet," the bandit insulted yet again. "We've got just as many men on the other side of your town as we've got here. As soon as you start fightin' us, they'll slaughter anyone on the other side and ransack the town." The bandits then let out a vicious laugh. "Let us into town and we'll be quick about it. Ya weak farmers have no chance against us now matter how you try to-"

"I've heard enough of this shit," Ragna growled, interrupting the bandit and stopping the rest of them cold. "All of you listen to me because I'm only going to say this once; get back to the other gate and defend it with your lives... I've got these sons of bitches right here."

"What the hell are you saying!?" Joshua shouted. "I don't know how cocky you are, but-! ...You'll...You..."

 **(Cue** _BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger_ **_Blood Pain_ )**

Joshua's words fell flat as he watched Ragna's body become shrouded in fiery Azure aura. The truth was Ragna's harnessed his power only well enough to make this effect _look_ terrifying, but for now it was enough. All of the members of the town guards to a step back in utter shock while the bandits seemed to tense their muscles and prepare for a fight.

"...EVERYONE! MOVE!" Emily shouted. "WE NEED TO LEAVE THIS TO HIM!"

"B-But-!" Joshua stuttered. "Emily you should-!"

"GET TO THE OTHER GATE!" Ruth bellowed with all the authority he could muster. The men finally taking the command and running off along with Emily. "THIS IS THE ONLY CHANCE WE'VE GOT! IF YOU DON'T FIGHT THESE BASTARDS OFF YOUR FAMILIES WILL BE AT THEIR MERCY!" He then gave on last glare in Ragna's direction before leaving himself.

"Now that I've got you all to myself..." Ragna began darkly as his aura began to travel along his body as a wisp before it coated his sword.

"KILL HIM! WE'LL RANSACK THIS TOWN AFTER ALL!" the bandit leader began as his henchmen surged forward. Ragna easily met their charge and sprung forward to meet their charge with a roar.

Ragna's blade cleaved through one of the bandits, cutting through their arm and waist like it was nothing. The bandit fell to the ground with a weak death rattle as his rust sword was sent into the air. Giving a perfect roundhouse kick to the pommel, the Reaper sent the blade through the chest of another of the bandits. As another of the bandits charged forward with a heavy lance, Ragna deflected the attack to side and forced it through another bandit before cleaving the head off of its wielder.

One of the heavier bandits managed to come at Ragna from behind with a large warhammer. Ragna positioned his sword behind him and managed to block the attack without lurching. He then delivered a powerful kick to his target's chest and sent it into it's allies and cause many of them to topple over. A thug wielding a two-handed axe swung at the Reaper with deadly force. Ragna swung to counter, figuring he'd managed to deflect the attack, but his opponent's axe actually managed to sink into his blade's metal, though it did stop the attack. Shrugging the axe off of him, he managed to cleave the bandit's head off, only for the blade to shatter in the process.

"He doesn't have his sword! He doesn't have a weapon!" one of the lance wielding bandits shouted as he lunged forward with his weapon. Ragna managed to deflect the point using what remained of his blade before closing the distance and cutting his opponent across the neck. Ragna then stabbed the sword behind him, catching another bandit in the chest before finally throwing the sword and impaling a bandit with a bow and arrow.

 _'There goes the sword I bought from Kenneth,_ ' Ragna thought to himself as the thugs to the short few moments to surround the Reaper instead of charging blindly. _'If I take one of their weapons I doubt it would last half as long given all the rust on 'em. I guess I'll just have to hope my Azure's strong enough to get me through this..._ ' Bracing his body, Ragna channeled his Azure into his arms causing them to become coated in the violent blue flames. " _GRIMOIRE SCYTHE!_ "

Similar to his _Grimoire Blade_ technique, the Azure flames flowed out of his palms and condensed to form the weapon blue weapon; a 7 foot long pole with a 4 foot long curved blade at the end of it. One of the biggest features Ragna had missed about his old weapon, _BloodScythe_ , was its ability to shift between a sword and the aforementioned Scythe. Since his bastard sword would never be able to transform into a scythe, he'd created this move over the last few days. It was by no means as good as a real weapon, but he'd already committed to improving the technique.

Using both of his arms, he swung his conjured weapon with great force, messily carving a bandit to shreds. It was imperative that he used both of his hands while wielding this weapon; since the form was weak he would need every ounce of force he had so that it would be able to cut through his enemy's thick armor. As an few archers let loose a small barrage of arrows at him, Ragna twirled his scythe in front of him like a propeller, deflecting every arrow with as before he leaped into the air and spun into a massive horizontal slash, cleaving through four bandits at once.

"Wh-what the hell is this freak!?" one of the bandits shouted. "He just wiped out more than half of us by himself!"

"And I'm wiping the other half too, none of you are getting out of here alive," Ragna told them darkly. "You came here threatening my home and the people inside it, I'm not stopping until all of you are dead."

"Rrr... CHARGE HIM ALL AT ONCE!" the bandit leader shouted and his men followed orders as quickly as he could. "HE CAN'T AVOID ALL OF US AT THE SAME TIME!"

Three of the bandits swung their weapons at the Reaper, only for him to block them with the pole part of his conjured weapon. Giving a quick swing to his opponent's legs, the bandits were thrown into the air, vulnerable for the follow up slash Ragna delivered to cleave the three in half. Ragna's scythe then managed to catch one of the axes from the air before throwing it using his weapon and sending the axe blade into yet another archer. Three lance users tired to impale him with a desperate charge, but Ragna used his scythe to force two bandits in front of him to take his place before cleaving the ground in half.

Now all that was left was the bandit leader and six of his men. Using the spacing to his advantage, Ragna made his fist well placed swing at two of the bandits, taking their heads of in the one swing. As the remaining lance users tried to keep their distance with their weapons, the Reaper leaped into the air before bringing the scythe down with a massive slashing, killing another four of the men before his scythe finally faded.

' _I guess that's my limit at the moment,'_ Ragna thought to himself as only the bandit leader remained, the fool's mind wasn't thinking clearly at the Reaper's display of force. Charging forward at Ragna the man made a vicious slash which Ragna easily dodged, only for the man to swipe again as he kept swinging just to try and stay alive. Ragna gave an annoyed sigh as he channeled _Azure_ to his right hand and made a fist. He then slammed the attack as hard as he could into his opponent's face, the force was strong enough to send his head flying off his body in a gory display.

 **( _End Theme)_**

Ragna didn't bother giving a final glance back at his opponent's, the town was likely still under attack at the other gate and if the leader had been telling the truth about the numbers it was still in danger. With that thought in mind, the Reaper headed for the West Gate.

 _Earlier -West Gate-_

"Keep them back!" Eric shouted as he blocked a bandit's sword with his twin axe before swinging back and sending him scampering back. "Don't let any of them into the city!"

When the bandits had first arrived on this side of the city, Eric and the town guards hadn't started fighting them first off, much like the other side waiting until they saw who would make the first move. That tension filled stand off had abruptly ended as the other half of the town guard charged to his rescue along with Emily. Eric had been slightly concerned as he saw that Ragna wasn't going to be present in the battle, before remembering that _someone_ had to guard the east gate.

"Watch your back!" Emily yelled before she let loose an arrow that managed to catch one of the bandits in his chest. Because of the armor it wore the thug didn't crumple, but the guard that he'd been about to attack wasn't at the receive end of its axe. Quickly nocking another arrow, she fired again at the bandit, this time managing to catching it in the eye. While Eric did whatever he could to take down any bandits quickly, there were just too many of them.

"Come on! We can pull through this!" one of the guards shouted as he rushed forward with his lance.

"Idiot! Don't go rushing blindly!" Eric shouted.

Too late, as the guard thrust his spear point at one of the larger bandits he lurched forward as the massive man caught the blade in his bare hand. The guard barely had time to register his fear before he was cut across the neck by a rusted axe. The muddle crumpled to the ground as blood pooled in the dirt around him. The pain filled gurgling was proof that the bandit's attack hadn't been a clean blow. The bandit was in mood for finishing his off, putting a heavy foot upon the guard wound and cause it to flare with pain as he cut down another guardsman across the chest, leaving this one to suffer a similar fate.

"Bastard!" Emily sword as she fired an arrow aiming for the man's head. The giant proved to be agile and used his axe to shield him self from the arrow. Noticing that the one that had shot him, the bandit gave a filthy smile before barreling forward towards the huntress, its axe hitting shield of one of the town guard and sending the man flying. Emily fired off another arrow at the man, but the puncture in its bicep did nothing to slow him. Slashing it's axe at Emily the huntress's instinct kicked in as she defended herself with her hunting bow, only for her prized weapon to shatter to splinters. "No..."

She quickly went for her shortsword and managed to guard against the bandit's first strike, though she stumbled back slightly. Stabbing her sword forward, the bandit managed to block the attack and riposted. Emily yelled as she crouched to avoid the attack, a powerful wind hitting her back from the force of the swing alone. Gathering up all of her strength she brought her blade upwards, cutting him from the the chest at the way along his face.

' _Got him!_ ' Emily thought to herself... right before she he bandit turned back to face her with seething anger. Swinging it massive axe once more, Emily watched as the blade in her hand shattered to pieces. The man swung again missing her by a hair's breadth and sending her to the ground. ' _No...'_

"Emily!" Eric shouted as he tried to get through to her, but there were too many bandits in his path.

"STAY AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

Emily watched as Joshua approached the massive man with his sword drawn, she saw as he father's blade pierced the man chest, the spray of blood the followed as the bandit violently lurched...

...right before the bandit planted his axe's blade inside of Joshua's skull.

Though the battle around her continued to run violent, Emily was hit by deafening silence. Crimson red completely covered her father body as his eyes were bugged out almost cartoonishly. Violently yanking the axe blade out of his victim's body, the giant bandit didn't even flinch as he was spray in a violent torrent of blood. Emily watched as Joshua fell to the ground, his bloody body flopping uselessly to the floor.

" _ **DAAAAAAAAD!"**_ she cried only to realize that her target's rage had not subsided. The figure snarled at her a he raised his axe for the final strike. Time slowed as Emily looked to father then the device that would spell her end. _'...Rag...na...'_

The blade swung through the air with deathly precision.

" _Protect friends."_

The bandit was instantly vivisected into eight pieces in a sanguine burst of blood and viscera. As the clumps of flesh fell to the ground, Emily slowly turned her head and saw Silvana standing behind her, her normally calm and emotionless voice now replaced with a look of anger. Her hood was down, revealing her pink hair and half-elven ears in full stopping many people in their tracks at the sight of the display. Silvana waved her hand and managed to carve another bandit to pieces with her wind magic.

"The hell!?" one of the bandits shouted before being struck down by Eric's axes in a gruesome display.

"WE'VE GOT MAGIC ON OUR SIDE!" Eric bellowed at the top of his lungs. "WE CAN WIN NOW!" Giving a final triumphant shout, the town guard continued the battle... by the time Ragna had appeared the outcome had already been decided.

 _That night_

 **( _Cue_** _Rufus Wainwright's_ _ **Hallelujah**_ **)**

Ragna didn't say anything as he stood before the funeral pyre, the crimson flames lighting his darker clothing and jacket. With the fighting over, he'd put his favored coat back on to watch the ceremony as a strange form of respect for the fallen. Out of the seven that had died in the attack, Joshua was the only one that Ragna had considered that he'd known. Three others had been Ruth's cronies or boys from town that had joined the town guard to avoid working in the fields, all had parents that were in tears at the loss of their sons. The other three casualties had been adults who were well known throughout the town, but people that Ragna had never connected with personally.

All around the pyre were families and friends watching as the remains of their loved ones were turned to ash. Ragna saw Emily's family; Elizabeth was completely devastated as she knelt close to Joshua's pyre with her face buried in her hands. Her children were doing whatever they could to comfort their sobbing mother while Aaron knelt beside her with a comforting hand on her shoulder, but Ragna doubted that it'd be that easy... in fact he didn't think he'd seen Elizabeth stop crying since Joshua had died.

The Reaper didn't say anything throughout the burning nor did he seek anyone out to talk to. When the fires had finally died however and some of the villagers were helping Elizabeth home he noticed Emily finally make her way over to him.

"I... I think it'd be best if I stay with my mom," she told him, trying not to choke on her own breath. Ragna could see that her eyes were already slightly puffy from her own crying. "I'm sorry to end it like this."

"Don't worry about it, you're doing the right thing staying back with her," he promised. "If I were in your shoes I'd be doing the same thing."

"...Are you still going to leave?" she asked, her voice quiet but even.

"Yeah, but I'll be back to check on you every now and again," Ragna said as the two started walking, not exactly going anywhere, just trying not to be stuck in a single place too long while grieving. "You're not going to be alone while I'm gone; Eric's staying behind and I'm sure the kid will look after you too."

"...I don't need to be looked over," she tried to protest.

"Well, you still need someone to have your back," Ragna told her before he sighed. "...I'm sorry I didn't get there in time."

"What are you talking about? ...It's thanks to you we..." Saying that he saved the town was hard for her when she'd just lost her father, but Ragna had gotten the message. "Besides, what else could you have done?"

' _Blasted the bandits apart in one shot if I was half as strong as I used to be,_ ' Ragna irately thought to himself, angry at his own weakness. "I know this is coming late, but is there anything I can do to help you now?"

"I... I doubt you can do much more than you've already done," Emily told him as her friend. "Aaron's been talking to my mom and comforting her since it happened... Turns out there were... _some things_ about my parents I didn't know."

 _'...Is there something else keeping Emily here then?'_ "Do you need to talk about it?"

"I don't know, but I don't think my mom's ready for anyone else to know about it... As far as I know, my mom, Aaron, and myself are the only ones that know about this now that..." Emily's eyes began to well up with tears as she thought about her father.

"You don't have to say anything," Ragna told her with a sigh before he noticed Eric, Naoto, and Silvana were watching the two. Not spying on them, just making sure it was alright if they approached. Ragna gave a quick nod and the three made their way forward.

"Sorry," was all Naoto said mournfully, though the youth knew how hollow the word sounded.

"Emily... going to... be okay?" Silvana asked sadly. Emily gave a small smile, but embraced the young half elf. While they did so, Eric came up to Ragna.

"I was watching the gate during... well, I just came from there and it looks like the sell-swords that Ruth requested finally came in. All twenty of 'em."

"Talk about cruel timing... Well I guess that works for me 'cause I'm going to be heading out tomorrow," Ragna told the group surprising everyone.

"Ragna... Listen, I know what you just came from, but don't forget you're still a hero to the town," Eric tried to tell his friend. "I mean, I hear even Ruth admitted that he'd need to do something for your-"

"Not interested," Ragna told them, like it was final, because it was.

"Where are... we going?" Silvana asked as her hug with Emily slowly ended (it looked like Naoto was trying to get the next comfort hug in with the huntress). Despite the half-elf's contribution to the town, many still couldn't get over her race and tolerated her only because Ragna was there.

"North, I think it's finally time I got you to the Mage's guild," Ragna said as before he allowed a few wisps of his Azure to dance around his palm. "That and I want answers on this; there has to be someone with some idea about my powers at the guild... right?"

"I don't know where else they'd be," Emily admitted in agreement. "Are you sure you want to leave tomorrow without saying goodbye to anyone?"

"I'm with you ain't I?" Ragna said before groaning. "Then again, if I don't talk to Aaron personally I'm going to get a lecture when I get back."

"Lecture either way," Silvana remind him.

"That's true," Emily said. "He's always going to... wait, was that _three_ words Silvana?"

"Was it?" Silvana asked apparently oblivious to what had happened. "...Neat."

"Either way you should probably get to bed," Ragna told her. "We've got a long journey tomorrow kid, and I'm not carrying you like I did last time."

"Don't be so sure about that," Eric said with a snarky smile of his own before he turned to Ragna to say their goodbyes. "I'll be seeing you when you come back then, hopefully the bar will be done by then so we can have a drink. My treat." With his promise said, he gave Ragna's shoulder a rough tap.

"Tch, I'll hold you to that," Ragna said as Eric and Silvana began heading back for the church. He then looked to Emily. "Want me to take you home?"

"I... I'll be fine," she promised him before abruptly hugging the Reaper, leaving Ragna stand there awkwardly. "Just... don't die out there... _please_... Whatever you do..."

"...I promise," he told her, returning the hug and letting it linger for a few moments. Eventually, Emily let go of him and left for home, leaving Naoto and Ragna by themselves. "Time to head back..."

 **(End theme)**

"Not yet," the youth told him, it was then that Ragna finally realized that Naoto had his practice sword. "You still owe me..."

"Naoto, after the day I had you really want to make me do this?" Ragna asked with a groan. "It's not a good time."

"It's the only time we've got!" Naoto yelled at him. "You told me that you wanted me to look after the village, and I need your sword skills to do that!"

"Kid, one lesson isn't going to make the difference right now," Ragna told him. "You're still young, if you practice what I taught you-"

"I don't want to have anyone else killed! I don't want to be too weak to do anything about it! And I don't want to see Emily cry again!" Naoto interrupted with a shout, surprising Ragna.

 _'Wait, does the kid have a... I mean I guess he could, but why would-?_ ' Pushing _that_ thought out of his mind for the moment Ragna sighed. "You're not going to take no for an answer are you? Friggen' great... Fine, let's do this."

Ecstatic, Naoto followed Ragna to the edge of the woods as the Reaper grabbed a small branch of a reasonable size. Naoto kept his weapon ready to begin their sparring.

"Don't tell that you're going to regret this, 'cause after what you just said I won't be listening," Ragna told him and Naoto only nodded eagerly. "Good, now show me what you can do."

The two then ended up sparring well into the night, Naoto taking into account Ragna's actions and incidence trying to learn from the Reaper. Ragna's teaching may have been harsh, but it managed to keep the two's minds off of what they had lost that day... and on their hopes for their paths ahead.

 _ **Character Relations**_

 _Kagura Mutsuki: 1st Rank_

 _Naoto Kurogane: 2nd Rank_

 _Emily: 1st Rank_

 _Eric: 1st Rank_

 _ **Town Relations**_

 _Hometown~Galevon: Revered Member~Protector_

 _Fortune's Step Inn: Boar Killer_ (Still)

 _Trudalla: Blue_ _Flamed Man_

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **Okay, so that ending was a little cheesy, but I rushed it a little to get this out by Friday... this is what happens when you go a few weeks without posting a chapter. The next chapter of this will be a little more serious and have some more changes that I think you'll like. Anyways, not much else to say except for a non-poll question; what next?**_

 _ **I'm thinking either "A Reaper's Game" or "Bloodedge of Fairy Tail" so let me know what one you want by Sunday. Anyways, take care and until next time.**_

 _ **Ciao.**_


	10. Pride Before The Fall

_**Blue IX: Pride Before The Fall**_

"Alright then, here's yer ale and yer tea," Grenda, the dwarven serving girl, told Ragna and Silvana as she laid the two tankards down in front of them.

It hadn't been an easy day of travel for the two, in fact they had barely slowed in the quick pace that they'd taken to travel including an extra hour of travel after dark, but at the very least neither of them had needed to stop and break for camp and spend the night in the woods. The down side was now Silvana had become so exhausted from the constant traveling that she was having difficulty staying awake.

"Tired..." she said to Ragna for the umpteenth time while slouching slightly in her chair.

"I know, I know. We'll get some rest for tomorrow as soon as we eat," Ragna told her with a sigh. "At least we didn't have to sleep outside tonight."

"Yeah, an' that's something to be thankful for," Grenda told them, stopping for conversation since it didn't appear that any of _Fortune Step Inn's_ current patrons were in need of refills. "The roads 'ave been becoming more an' more dangerous as of late. It's rare fer me to see a group traveling without at least five mercs for protection and those that don't rarely get to their destination... Traveling at night's become the same as havin' a death wish these days."

"No kidding," Ragna told her.

"'Fact I'd say that the two of you travellin' alone is a stupid idea, but after what happened with you an' that _Dire_ Boar I know that you're not at all smart."

"Feh, who the hell asked you?" Ragna demanded with a scowl. "Off topic, what happened to that beard I saw you with last time? You shave since I was last here?"

"Oh right, you were here when we had the royal family staying with us an' the soldiers were making a mess of things weren't you?' the serving girl said before glancing around. "Can you keep a secret?"

"To my eventual grave," Ragna promised.

"Truth is while some dwarf women grow beards not all of 'em do, it's about a half an' half split and I'm not in the group that does," Grenda told them, keeping her voice low so that the two would be the only ones to hear her. "That beard that you saw the other day was a fake that my father sometimes makes me wear, especially when we've got a lot of soldiers staying with us. It's a common thing for dwarven women to do when dealing with other races."

"Why wear it?" Silvana asked, this being only the second time she'd used three words in a row to convey her message.

"Take a wild guess," she challenged the two with a smirk.

"I dunno, to deter any advances from perverts?" Ragna guessed, earning a nod from their server. "Figures."

"Speaking of which, what the hell happened to you since the first time you've been here?" she asked Ragna directly. "Last time I was here you weren't much taller than my old man, now yer standing two heads taller than most men!"

"I've been getting asked that a lot lately," Ragna said with a groan. "And each and every time I tell them that I have no damned idea what the hell happened; I come into contact with some sort of magic, I pass out, I wake up and I'm like this."

"That so? Any way you could reverse it? You looked leagues better when you were shorter," Unhappy with what he'd just been told, Ragna's blue eyes narrowed into a glare at the young she-dwarf. "What? My qualifications for a decent man mean they can't be any taller than our doorway."

"Like I have any control over my height," Ragna told her with a groan. "Any other qualifications that you got?"

"'f course; they need ta have a nice, strong, and full beard-" Ragna felt his all too smooth face which didn't seem to have a hair to its name. "-and a lot of hair on their chest, that's a personal must." Ragna then pulled out the top of his black shirt and looked down, perfect muscle sure, but not a hair on it.

"So... in short I wouldn't be a good dwarf," Ragna summarized with minimal disappointment. "Whatever."

"At least your tongue's as sharp as my father's, that puts you slightly better off. Were ya hoping on impressing me?" Grenda questioned him with some curiosity.

"I don't try to 'impress' anyone," Ragna bit, but the serving girl acted like she hadn't heard him.

"Hey pa!" Grenda called to her father who was sitting behind his desk like he always was. "I think we got a fresh one lookin' ta court me!"

"I didn't say anything like that!" Ragna denied with a shout. At this point many of the patrons of _Fortune's Step Inn_ had stop their conversation, interested in the drama set to unfold before them.

"Hah! Like you could handle my little stone shine," Heathson Stonejaw said with a chuckle as he finally looked up from his books. "A week with her and you'd come crawling to me, begging to give my daughter back." With that the entire establishment erupted to laughter at the Reaper's expense.

"Feh, old bastard..." Ragna muttered. Being a dwarf, Grenda had heard people be called far worse as friendly greetings and simple giggled a bit. Ignoring the laughter around him, Ragna took a swig out of his mug before pausing at the taste. "Grenda? I think you gave me the wrong-"

 _ **THUNK!**_

"-Drink," he finished as he watched Silvana's head hit the table the young half-elf's eyes were glazed over and barely open while her face was lit with red.

"Feel... funny..." she muttered with a strange slur; apparently her elven blood mixed with her diminutive size made it so she had little tolerance for alcohol. Giving a sigh, Ragna pick the small child up and carried her behind him on his back.

"Mind sending the food up to our room?" he asked Grenda, who gave him a passive nod as he carried Silvana upstairs while using one hand to carry his mugs. "In hindsight, this is at least better than getting another of those damn nicknames," he thought aloud, remembering his hatred for the _Boar Killer_ and _Blue Flamed Man_ titles he'd become stuck with.

 _Later -Ragna's Rented Room-_

 _ **Childish Innocence...?**_

With his best efforts, Ragna had taken the woozy Silvana upstairs and had made her lie down until the food had gotten to the two. Ragna had finally managed to drink the rest of his ale while he gave Silvana the tea that she should have been drinking in the first place. Giving her some of the food they had ordered seemed to improve Silvana's condition slightly, but she was still glowing a little in her cheeks.

"Time for bed," Ragna noted after he'd finally finished his meal. Ever since his growth spurt, the Reaper had needed to eat much more in order to stay full, close to twice as much in fact. "We have a busy day tomorrow and I want to leave early so we make it to Bailo Town."

"What if... we can't... get in?" Silvana slowly questioned from where she sat on the edge of the only bed in the room. The Inn had been rather busy that night, so the two had needed to settle for only a single bed in they're room, leaving Ragna to begrudgingly sleep on the floor (he thought he'd be better off sleeping outside in the softer grass).

"It's been a week since Zeus told us that they were closing the gates," Ragna explained to the young traveling companion. "I'm sure they would have opened by now, and if they haven't we'll just have to figure something out, maybe fall asleep in the woods if that's what it comes to."

"Oh..." Silvana said as Ragna sat, upon the floor and leaned his body against the wall. Groaning slightly as he realized he in for a rather uncomfortable night. "Ragna... In bed...?"

"No, then you'd have to sleep on the floor," the Reaper insisted. "Trust me, I'll be fine."

"Bed has room... for us both."

"Eh?" Ragna grunted, his face now slightly lit up with his own blush and this one wasn't the result of any alcohol. Looking up, he hoped that this was just a side effect of Silvana's intoxicated state, but the half-elf seemed to be quite serious. "That's... I mean, it's not a good idea Silvana."

"Why?" she asked with the one word he was dreading; how was he supposed to explain this to someone as innocent as her?

"Well... I mean that you're not really supposed to sleep in a bed with someone else unless you really have to, it's kind of... bad." ' _Seriously you idiot,_ bad? _'_ "I mean, you'll see some adults sleep next to each other, but that's because they're married and shit." ' _Or just horny.'_

"Oh..." Silvana said, sounding a tad disappointed. Ragna sighed before trying to relax and make himself comfortable, only to feel a light head resting against his should a moment later. Opening his eyes, he wasn't sure to be annoyed or in disbelief when he say Silvana leaning against him. "Not in bed."

 _'Shit, she's right...'_ Ragna thought before rising. "Alright, fine; you win," the Reaper submitted as he headed over to the bed while carrying Silvana (who was trying very hard not to look proud with herself). "Just don't tell anyone about this... and stay on your own side, you hear me?"

"I understand," Silvana told him with a smile.

Fifteen minutes later,a snoring Silvana was sprawled out in the middle of the bed, forcing Ragna off to the edge while keeping him pinned down with an arm and a leg.

"...It's become increasingly difficult not to complain," Ragna growled at no one in particular before he turned to the resting form of Silvana. "Damn... I just can't say no to kids, can I?"

 _Partnership Rank 1 Acquired with Silvana_

 _The Next Morning -Borders of Bailo Town-_

"Doesn't look like there's anything wrong with it so far," Ragna thought aloud as he and Silvana stood atop a hill overlooking the city. "In fact it's hard to tell anything at the moment."

The city was very similar to Trudalla, if only to put it on a larger scale. Stone walls surrounded the city and protected it, allowing for only four entrances that allowed access. There appeared to be a few large mansions closer to the city's center and a decent amount of huts and farm land surrounding the wall. Surrounding that were thick woods on the east and west that was the main reason you had to pass through this town to make your way north. The trip here hadn't had taken nearly as long as Ragna had thought it would, but the all too quiet atmosphere kept him on edge.

"Go around?" Silvana asked him as she looked up at her guide.

"Maybe we should... but there might be something here worth looking into," the Reaper decided. "There was a reason that Jonathan and the others weren't able to go through here; wouldn't it be better if we could make it so merchants could get travel this way?"

"Might be difficult," Silvana told him. "Very little... we could do."

"You can't get far with an attitude like that, believe me I know," Ragna told her as the stormy weather blew around them. While it hadn't begun to rain yet, gray clouds covered the entirety of the sky above and blocked out any sunlight. "Come on, let's at least see the front gate."

"Okay," Silvana reluctantly agreed. And with that the two headed down the hill and approached the city. As they neared the city, the lack of noise didn't seem to stop, in fact as they got closer no one seemed to be out of their houses, save for the five guards that stood at the entryway arch in front of the village, armed with swords at their sides and dressed in half-plate armor. "Creepy."

"You can say that again," Ragna agrees as they approached the two guards.

"That's close enough," one of the guards told him, a hand resting upon his sword pommel. "Bailo town isn't to be receiving any visitors right now via order of the governor; I suggest you go back the way you came."

"I heard the news, we're just trying to get a place to rest after traveling all night," Ragna lied.

"Then I suggest you head back south or go around and stay at an Inn along the road; no outsiders, no exceptions," the guard told him again.

"Can you at least have someone bring us out some supplies?" Ragna questioned again. "I've got some coin to pay for it." ' _Not much, but I can at least buy some lunch._ '

"I told you; back off," the guardsman said, drawing his sword as the others drew theirs. "I don't want to do anything drastic stranger, but I have an oath to keep and a job to do. Either you leave this city now or we arrest you for disrupting the peace."

"Disrupting the peace?" Ragna questioned before rushing forward. The guards barely had any time to react and only a few started shouting out a call- Right before Ragna passed by them entirely. Reeling his fist back, he blasted a skeleton into pieces and caused its broadsword to sail into the air. Grabbing the sword in a single hand and bringing it down, the shock wave of the slash alone was enough to split another skeleton to pieces. From around the village, screams were heard from the townspeople and low undead snarls were heard from other skeleton warriors. "If I'm disrupting the peace, then what are these monsters doing?"

"They're out of the city gates!?" one of the guards shouted as the unit rushed off to the city. "Fine! Do whatever the hell you want! We'll sort you out later!"

"Tch, not a single word of thanks," Ragna said as a skeleton rushed towards him with a rusted sword while wearing rusted armor. The Reaper readied his sword to destroy the thing, only for it to be blasted into pieces by Silvana's wind magic.

"Should have... gone around," she told him with a pout before blasting apart another monster.

"Maybe, but as long as we're here we might as well," Ragna began with a smile before swinging his sword through another of the monsters and broke it to pieces. "Just stay close to me."

"Don't like running," Silvana said with a sigh, but complied and followed Ragna to seek out the attacking undead. Using her training, she cast a spell to help propel her forward and increase her speed so she could keep up with Ragna.

The two then came across their first group of monsters; a collection of skeletons attacking a group of outnumbered knights. Leaping high into the air, Ragna came down with his newly acquired sword an cleanly cut one of the skeletons in half. A skeleton then took its attention away from attacking the outclassed town-guards and swung a Ragna with a rusted mace, only for Ragna to deflect the attack and send it off balance before spinning into a powerful kick that caused the monster to shatter. The remaining three skeletons on the other side were then quickly handled as Silvana cut two down with blades of wind and the final one was struck down by a combined effort of the rest of the guards. Nodding quickly as a form of thanks, the guards then hurried off to assist their other allies.

Running off to find another group to deal with themselves, Ragna and Silvana heard screams of fright coming from a farmers hut. A group of undead were striking on the door with their weapons, causing it to shake as women and children inside tried to keep the door bared. Guards were trying to make their way towards the building, but with so many undead keeping them occupied there was no chance they'd make it in time. Quickly switching his backhanded hold on his sword to a forehanded one, the Reaper lunged forward at sonic speeds.

His blade managed to hit home and easily pierced through the skull of one of the skeletons, but Ragna continued his charge and managed to rip through the heads of three addition undead. Tearing his blade out, Ragna then performed an overhead axe kick which made contact with yet another skeleton and turned it to pieces of bones. Silvana then unleashed a torrent of wind on the remain skeletons and eradicated the remaining group.

For the next half hour, Ragna and Silvana assisted the town-guards of the city in whatever way the two could, whether it was helping hopelessly outnumbered members eradicate a group or wiping out an unattended force of undead by themselves. Eventually the undead ceased moving as whatever was causing them to attack wore off and the fell to piles of bones before a rather confused Reaper.

"...I guess that's them dealt with," Ragna muttered. Hearing a low hiss, he watched as the defeated undead bodies around him dissolved into ash before fading into the ground as did the taken sword he carried. Narrowing his eyes at the loss of yet another new weapon, he realized he had other things to worry about as the town-guards from earlier approached him.

"...Though I can't exactly say I condone your greeting methods, I can appreciate the effort you've made to save the lives of the people," the apparent leader said to him, gracing Ragna with some form of thanks. "Yet I still think that you should leave, for your own sake if not for ours."

"What I managed to beat them didn't I?" Ragna questioned as Silvana returned to his side. "Are you saying there's more?"

"Yes, there will always be more of them... this was not the first attack on the city... but to think that they attacked in broad daylight and managed to breach the walls." The guard grimaced at the thought.

"Why don't you start back at the beginning and tell me exactly what happened?" the Reaper suggested to the man.

"Well it-" the guardsmen was about to begin before glancing on Ragna's shoulder. "Oh damn it..."

Heading towards them was a group of priests, each of them with either a longsword or a mace at their sides. One key difference that he could point out between these priest and the ones from Trudalla were while the ones overlooking the tournament had been garbed in golden robes, these men of cloth were garbed in crimson.

"The Archbishop wants a word with the stranger," the priest in the front told the group. "He says its important that they speak to each other immediately."

"What about the attack we just had!?" one of the guards demanded. "You _told_ us that those monsters wouldn't break outside the city limits if we cooperated with you!"

"There was a hidden passage through the sewers that we hadn't considered. We'll be sure to keep it guarded," the priest said before turning his attention back to Ragna. "The Archbishop awaits... _Blue Flamed Man_."

 _'God dammit! Why the hell am I STILL being called that?_ ' Ragna thought with clear aggression, but merely shook his head. "Fine... let's just get whatever the hell this is over with." Noticing the harsh punch he felt on his thigh, it was clear that Silvana was at least as displeased with the developments as he was.

 _Inside the City's Walls_

Ragna had to fight the urge to gag at the stench inside the city. The smell of rot and decay hit his nostrils particularly hard, though despite all of his searching not a single corpse was to be found within the streets. The signs of damage were clear enough though; broken windows into shops and houses, broken pieces of armor on the floor, and even in some cases pools of blood or bits of rotting flesh.

"Where the hell are all of the bodies?" Ragna demanded from the priest putting an hand on Silvana's shoulder and trying to keep his young companion as close to him as he possibly could.

"They disappear after the person has died; they turn to ash before your very eyes," one of the priests told him glumly. "...After that you see them as the monsters you fought outside, rotting corpses cursed with unlife and an insatiable hunger for human flesh. We slay them again and again, only to turn to ash and return to the fold in the next attack."

' _So their numbers are growing then,_ ' Ragna thought to himself as he turned to view the inside of one of the homes. A group of women and children were huddled together in fear, the mothers with only a few daggers and fireplace pokers in order to protect their children. ' _Dammit, it's Liette all over again..._ '

"Take heed, by the divine grace of Stroloth we shall persevere in this endeavor and eradicate the threat," the lead priest told him.

"So says _The Greatest Warrior_ ," the other chanted in unison.

' _Stroloth is supposed to be the Godly persona of strength if I'm remembering things right,_ ' Ragna thought, remembering back to his earliest lessons with Aaron. _'I guess that makes him the closest thing to a war god...'_ As the group approached the temple, Ragna glanced up and saw something that made his eyes narrow. ' _Which explains that...'_

Standing in front of the church at over forty feet tall was a marble statue. It was etched out to shape a great warrior with a sword in one hand and a battle axe in the other. The warrior's face didn't appear to have a beard, but was letting out a battle cry as it rose its weapons high above its head. It's body was perfectly sculpted to show ever abdominal muscle and its bulging biceps. The only thing the sculpture was wearing was a loose fitting and robe like loin cloth, showing as much of its muscular body as it could. Countless masses were before the statue on their knees and offering prayers up to it. Oddly enough, unlike literally everything else in the village this gaudy landmark appeared to be unmarred.

' _At least it's a humble design,'_ Ragna sarcastically thought as the priests leaded the two up the front steps and into the church, closing the doors behind them as they followed them inside. The church was much larger than the one Ragna had grown up in(albeit it appeared to have sustained many attacks). With a dozen pew rows before him for people to sit in during mass. Standing before the alter was the a single man.

"I'm honored that the divine will of the Seven has brought you before me," the Archbishop said to Ragna. The Archbishop was an older man, appearing to be close to Aaron's age though he was also clean shaven. His dark crimson robes had a few distinct patterns on it signifying his rank within the church, but other than that held no difference from those of the other priests. "I am Archbishop Oakley."

"I heard you wanted to see me," Ragna said, doing his best to keep his tone passive.

"Indeed, tell me, how has Brother Aaron been?" Oakley asked, leading for Ragna's suspicion to grow. "Rumors among our newest arrivals had told me of your ability, and that your supposed hometown was south of _Fortune Step's Inn_... It was practically a guarantee that you would have known of Aaron."

"...He was doing well last I saw him," the Reaper relented.

"Is that so? I am pleased to hear that news," the Archbishop told him, seeming like he was neither happy nor disappointed. "Now onto business; we know of your abilities, we saw them first hand from atop the city's walls. I believe that you could just be what I need to save this fair city from the undead scourge."

"About that, where are all of these things coming from?" Ragna demanded. "Skeletons don't just pop out of nowhere overnight and not with these numbers."

"Indeed, the source of our problem is a group of Necromancers; practitioners of black magic that channels their demonic power via resurrection of the dead. These... _creatures of chaos_ came to this city before committing the heinous act of breaking into the sacred catacombs below the church and the majority of our city; the ones which hold the near countless tombs of those departed."

"Giving them plenty of corpses to use," Ragna guessed. "And they're able to summon back both the corpses already in there and any bodies that they kill in the process."

"Indeed, their power is formidable... which is why we need you," the priest said, his complexion turning dark. "Many of our brothers and sisters of the cloth have gone to the catacombs to right the wrongs these heathens have caused... only to add to their ever increasing army."

"Why not let... townspeople out?" Silvana asked, finally contributing to the conversation. "Get them... to safety?"

"And risk letting those monsters out with them, perhaps condemning the land itself into an age or darkness and misery? I think not," the priest said as he glared at the young half-elf. "Your companion, she will need to stay here while you head to the dangers below."

"Not happening," Silvana argued heatedly, glaring daggers back at the man. Ragna was a little taken aback by her tone and the specific words she had chosen... was she taking after him? "Why should I... stay behind?"

"The catacombs below are no place for a child, moreso that bringing a mage into the city depths would dishonor those bodies even further than they already have been," the Archbishop said with a scowl before turning to the Reaper. "Your rumored abilities may be... mysterious, but the fact that you've been chosen by the gods to become a member of the _Holy Horizon_ is credit enough for an exception in your case."

"Always gotta be a catch somewhere," Ragna said as he let out a sigh.

"You need not worry; we have no qualms with her and will guard her well if the undead dare to threaten her... you only need focus on slaying the necromancer so that peace may return to our fair city."

"...Fine," Ragna reluctantly agreed, though it was clear that Silvana didn't like it. "But you'd better mean it..."

"On my word," the Archbishop told the Reaper. Ragna then followed the two priests that had escorted the two here and left Silvana behind. Turning to the young girl, the Archbishop took another long look at Silvana. "...I'll escort you to the church's guest quarters then... wouldn't want any of the children to see that you're a half-elf would we? It could lead to... trouble."

"...I'm not afraid," Silvana told the archbishop, and her steel gaze was proof enough.

"The face of a lioness... perhaps our god hasn't has cursed you as terribly as I'd thought," the Archbishop said with something of a wry smile, to which Silvana said nothing. She did hope that Ragna hurried however.

 _The Catacombs Entrance_

"Let's see... The area's loaded with broken cobwebs, all of the coffins in sight are already emptied, the entire area is stained by blood and claw marks, and we've got torches on the walls lit by an unsettling black fire... Well this is off to an appealing start."

"Have some respect; this is where several of our order met their end in a righteous battle," one of the crimson robed priests told Ragna with a scowl. The two priests that had escorted him from the farm lands to the church were standing on the other side of an opened door frame which separated the church from the catacombs. "These catacombs are much greater in size than anything you could have ever come across. There are five floors below and the lowest one is almost as large as the city itself... and all of them were at least half filled with corpses. Our assumption is that you'll find the necromancers there... It's where the kings and paladins of the past are buried."

"Terrific," Ragna said as he glanced at the stairway that would take him down to the next level. ' _All of the corpses here and not a sign of any-_ ' Ragna's involuntary shudder could not have been more obvious. "Hey... there haven't been any... _ghosts_ , have there?"

"I... wouldn't think so, otherwise they'd have gone through walls and stolen our lives already," a priest told him, not helping Ragna's spectrophobia at all.

' _Get it together Ragna, you've got a damned job to do, there are lives on the line... and there too many orphans in this world as it stands._ ' Mustering up more courage than before he'd faced even Susanoo, Ragna took his first dauntless steps down into the depths as the priests closed the heavy iron doors behind him before sealing them shut.

"Time to get started with the search," Ragna thought as headed into the first layer of coffins, all of which were shoddily made by cheap and rotting wood. All of them had been opened and many of them had looked like they'd been effortlessly smashed open. "This must have been where they buried the people that couldn't pay much for a fancy funeral."

Despite Ragna's lax attitude this whole thing stank... or rather there was an uncomfortable lack of a stink. Instead of there being a musty smell throughout the ruins or a thick layer of dust, any dust was gone and the air was too clear... in fact it was much clearer than the air inside the city. Spotting the stairs at the other end of the room, Ragna started to head over before a shine caught his eye. Heading over to it and kneeling down, he picked up a small broken crystal.

' _There's some sort of energy coming off of this thing, though it looks like it's been completely drained,'_ the Reaper thought to himself as he glanced around the floor. ' _And these aren't the only ones either by a long shot; the Necromancers are probably using these things in bulk. They must be some kind of power shards, which would help to explain how they'd have the strength to raise the dead like this.'_

As Ragna rose to his feet, he immediately jumped to his guard as strange magic circles appeared on the ground around him. From the circles emerged skeletons, armed with rusty weapons and clad in rusted armor. While Ragna stood at his guard, one of the skeletons tried to rush him from his blind side, only to get broken to pieces from a devastating roundhouse kick from the Grim Reaper. Grabbing his opponent's weapon from out of midair, Ragna was planning on using it to his advantage like he had before only watch as the skeleton he'd attacked turn to ash as did the sword in his hands.

"At least I can still throw a good punch!" the Reaper shouted as he rushed forward and delivered a bone-shattering (literally) blow to one of the skeletons as he turned it to pieces before it to turned to ash.

As the rest of the undead forces continued to approach, two of the undead monsters seemed to be 'recently acquired' as they had most of their flesh on their bones. Gritting his teeth at the display, he gathered blue flames to his hands before smashing them into both of the corpses and destroying them, only for them to be returned to ash. Ragna then twisted his body and kicked back two more undead warriors into the wall. A rusted sword neared the Reaper's chest, but he caught the blade with his bare hands before ripping it away from the undead that used it along with a few chunks of flesh. Using his sword before it dissolved, Ragna plunged the blade into his enemy and bull-rushed forward catching multiple undead. With surge of strength he threw them into the wall, reducing all of them to ash.

" _ **Blue-!"**_ Ragna shouted as he coated his arms in Azure. The rushing punch he sent forward was enough to tear through three of the undead before he smashed the full force of it into one of the meatier priests, blasting the monster to pieces. **_"FANG!"_** Following up with a powerful wave of azure, the Reaper turned yet another group of undead to ash.

The undead started attacking him much more fiercely after that, attempting to overwhelm him with sheer numbers. Ragna pushed up the rate of his attacks, first by swatting on of the undead off to the side, then striking another back with a powerful forward kick. He then unleashed a haymaker on a skeleton and smashed it into the ground, followed by a spinning high kick that took off on of the undead monster's head before sweeping the leg behind him and knocking another fleshy undead off of its feet. Grabbing the airborne foe, he swung the create in front of him like a club and broke the front lines of the undead completely.

There were still plenty of enemies left and Ragna stood ready to continue the fight... only to watch as the monsters before him turn to ash all at once.

"The hell?" Ragna thought as he cautiously looked around the room. "...Seems a little charitable of 'em to let me move forward. What's their game?" Knowing he shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, the Reaper let out a mildly annoyed sigh before he headed off towards the stairway that would take him down to the next level.

 _ **The Catacombs -Depths-**_

"This one... he's creating quite the ultimatum for me," a single figure mused humorlessly to themselves. "Just when I was able to reanimate the bodies of the kings of old... one can only imagine if this one knows what he's stepping into. _Holy Horizon_ _Champion_ indeed... how worthless that title is."

The figure in question was quite old and her body looked sickly frail, so frail that you could she her own skeleton underneath her pale, wrinkled, and leathery skin. She was wearing a thick black cloak over her body that appeared to have several metal designs of skeletons over the skirt of the dress while the metal on the chest was forged to resemble a rib cage and the material shoulders were fashioned to shape the front of skulls. It should have been quite the fashion statement, but unfortunately it looked like the metal had been torn and large sections of metal had been rusted. The only part of the woman's hair that actually looked healthy was her hair full head hair of long and ghost white hair.

"There's no point in wasting energy on sending weaker waves after him; I need to force him to submit to me at full force... meaning I'll need to see him die before me and treat his death more... personally." Thrusting both of her hands into a burlap sack, the woman carried a fistful of glowing crystals in each hand which were then surrounded by dark spheres of magic. The mysterious woman then sat in the middle of the room and began to chant her powerful incantation. _"Senob smitciv yht morf hself eht raet dna niaga esir llaf uoy dluohs! Ecarbme dloc s'noivilbo ot gnirb dna seimene yht etims! Htaed fo secrof ho esir!"_

The room around the woman was suddenly bathed in a black fiery aura. A torrent of ashes swirled around entity of the large chamber. From within the torrent, the ashes then stuck together to form the body of a man before hardening and turning into an undead priest. The grotesque monster gave a shrill shriek as it was coated in the black flames which seemed to make. Then a skeleton warrior was formed, then another priest was created, then another monster. There was no end to the monsters forming, each with a aura of black flames surrounding them as they gave screams which echoed across the entirety of the catacombs.

 _ **Later -Above Surface-**_

Archbishop Oakley stood at the the church's balcony right behind the large statue of the church's deity, Stroloth. Despite the crisis of the town there was still a large gathering in front of the statue, many people begging for salvation or praying that the deity would defend them. Looking of the masses, Oakley felt superior, if only for a brief moment as he heard hurried footsteps from behind him.

"Archbishop!" one of the nuns of the church called to him with worry as ran to the priest before kneeling prostrate at his feet. "The men guarding the doors to the catacombs lie unmoving on the floor and the doors have been flung open!"

"Keep your voice down fool!" Oakley hissed as he turned back to face the people down below. To his luck, the people were still kneeling before the symbol of his church deep in their prayers and didn't appear to have heard the news. "...Show me."

Nervously nodding and rising to her feet, the nun then lead the high ranking priest back into the church, down the stairway and to the large iron door in the back. As she had said, the five red priests set to guard the door were lying on the ground, while the door to the catacombs below lie open. Scowling at the display, Oakley knelt next to one of the priest and felt his pulse.

"...They're merely unconscious," he finally decided, and the nun gave a sigh of relief before making a religious gesture to thank their deity for his protection. "Meaning this can't be the work of the undead, they have sooner broken their necks and added to their ranks."

"Perhaps it was the _Blue Flamed Man?_ " the young nun nervously suggested. "He... he could have realized this was a situation he could not have handled and run from his duty."

"No, the barricades that _should_ have kept this door closed was clearly broken apart from the outside... Someone was trying to get _in_ , and they were rather impatient to do so... I can think of someone who seemed rather adamant to follow the man."

"Then... what are we to do?" the nun asked nervously.

Oakley thought to himself for a good long moment before addressing the young nun. "Gather up another group of our warriors to guard the door while this group recovers and have them barricade it once more. With any luck those who tread on sacred grounds unpermitted will be offered a clean end down below. Afterwards, assemble another force and have them clear away the crowds before the statue... force them back to their homes if need be."

"But your holiness, you'd force these people away from their right to worship!?" the nun asked with a hint of fear in her words. "But should they not-!?"

"If they stay out in the open any longer they'd be nothing more than easy targets for the forces of undeath and we already have enough of those demons to counter," Oakley told her with reason. "If this plan fails, the only option left to us may be one final assault... One that will be sung by countless generations of the future."

 _ **The Deepest Part of the Catacombs**_

"Looks like I made it," Ragna thought to himself aloud. The Reaper was standing before two large iron door which stood at thirty feet tall and twenty feet wide. Even through through the thick metal, Ragna could hear a collection of snarls, shrieks, and growls on the other side. "There's a lot of 'em on the other side of this thing... looks like they've been waiting for me.

Giving a sad sigh, the Reaper then gave a powerful kick to the door and sent it flying off of its hinges and into the chamber where it crushed a large number of skeletons. Ragna was about to channel his Azure and begin the fight with the countless undead that stood before him, but stopped himself when he realized that they didn't appear to be in any hurry to attack him... in fact it appeared that they were standing back and waiting for him to approach.

"Come in warrior... I've been expecting you," came the voice of an old woman from inside. Narrowing his eyes at the invitation, but approaching cautiously nonetheless, Ragna walked through the middle of the ranks of the undead, their formation stopping him when he was within thirty feet of their master. "So you've come to stop me..."

"Thought there'd be more of you," Ragna admitted as he looked upon the woman in black though he was completely surrounded by undead. "What, you turn your friends into these things?" he asked while gesturing to the skeletons around him.

"No, like you I work alone... baring that young girl you've brought with you," she added, seeing Ragna tension seem to rise. "Yes I know of her, my eyes can see through any of my servants... and the two of you are problems."

"Yeah, so what else is new?" Ragna said somewhat mockingly. "I'm almost starting to thinks it's a job of mine to make things complicated."

"Lessen your insults, I can offer you a way out of this..." the enigmatic woman told him, a gesture that Ragna hadn't been expecting. "I've recovered much of my army... and much of the individuals from within these catacombs... I can attack the rest of the priesthood and provide means of escape for you and the girl, and all I would ask in return is that you stay out of my affairs..."

 **(** _ **Cue Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII**_ _The Summoned_ Extended **)**

"Not a chance in whatever hell you're afraid of," Ragna told her as he stayed on his guard and waited for the countless undead surrounding him to attack. "I came down here to kill a necromancer and that's what I'm going to do..."

"So you've chosen death..." the old woman said, seeming to be more annoyed with Ragna's supposedly foolhardy attitude than actually angry. Grabbing more crystals from her sack into her hands she began chanting in an ancient language. A fiery black aura once again surrounded the chamber and cloaked the undead. Many of the monsters gave high pitched cries before rushing the Reaper at surprising speeds.

Using the split seconds he had for analysis, Ragna managed to find the order that undead would be attacking him and found a way to respond in turn. Turning and shifting his weight, he blasted the first skeleton in the face with a well placed punch before turning the rest of his body and sending powerful kick to two skeletons one his right, smashing his elbow into one that had gotten a little two close this side, and thrusting out a powerful kick to one of the skeletons that stood before him. Ragna had expected for his attacks to have destroyed his opponents, but the most that the did was cause the undead to stumble back.

' _Not good,_ ' Ragna thought to himself as one of the skeletons behind him tried to stab him in the back. Acting quickly, Ragna managed to dodge the blade while catching the attack in his arm and throwing the undead forward and knocking it into it's allies. Dodging and counting several more attacks with his own unarmed strikes, he saw that even when he managed to crack the skull of a skeleton, whatever magic that was in the area was quickly causing them to reform back to normal. ' _Can't hold back here, I gotta go all out...'_

Kicking back one last remaining skeleton, Ragna channeled as much _Azure_ into his right hand as he could. Roaring at the power as undead lunged their weapons at him from every angle, Ragna drmove his fist into the ground. The resulting explosion of _Azure_ and the shock-wave it created sent a large portion of the horde flying back, but created a tremor so powerful that Ragna swore he'd created a miniature earthquake below the city. Using the brief second he'd created, the Reaper leaped into the air a rush towards the necromancer, creating a scythe of blue flames as he did so.

"I've got you now!" he shouted as he neared the necromancer in his aerial dash. The Necromancer didn't spot her chanting, in fact going so far as to grab more of the strange crystals from her burlap sack. Ragna then noticed that there was an undead monster leaping right at him, this one garbed head to toe in ceremonial armor. Glancing around him, Ragna realized that this wasn't the only warrior of this type in the air; over two dozen other skeletons in similar armor were closing in on the Reaper in aerial combat.

Swinging his scythe, Ragna managed to launch himself off of one of the skeletons before kicking off one using a shield to avoid the slashes of two axe users. One wielding a hammer reeled back a blow which he couldn't dodge in midair. The Reaper tried to counter the weapon with his own, but he was thrown back when the attack connected. He managed to flip in the air so he landed on the wall with his feet. Seeing that he couldn't go for an easy win, the Reaper leaped from the wall and dove through an entire rank of undead, cleaving them all in half with his scythe. Unfortunately, their ashy halves began to join them together, turning an damage Ragna had inflicted ineffective.

"To think you'd fight so harshly, even against such odds," the woman said as she stopped her chanting though the undead attacks against Ragna did not let up as he cleaved through yet another monster only for it to regenerate like the others. "Does your honor within the church mean that much to you?"

"Like hell it does," Ragna muttered as he managed to block a rusted sword with his scythe. "I've never given a shit about something like honor or justice and I'm not about to start for them! It's just become harder for an ass like me to turn a blind eye to the shit you're causing!"

"THAT I"VE CAUSED!?" the woman shouted, outrage now clearly upon her face. "YOU KNOW NOTHING OF WHAT I'VE BEEN FORCED TO ENDURE ALL OF THESE YEARS! THOSE PRIESTS ATOP ARE THE ONES AT FAULT HERE! IF NOT FOR THEM I'D HAVE NEVER NEADED TO GO TO SUCH EXTREMES!"

"Hiding behind a wall of excuses? Figures!" Ragna shouted as he cleaved one of the skeletons head off before kicking it away and causing it to knock over another group of the monsters. "If it wasn't for the churches I grew up in I wouldn't give any sort of damn about 'em!"

"The churches you-!" the woman then raised her hands, all at once the attacks from the undead stopped and the monsters went still.

(End theme)

"What the hell? What gives?" Ragna demanded, trying to remain intimidating though his brow was thick with sweat and he knew he needed to use whatever chance he could to catch his breath. Being outnumbered as heavily as he was wouldn't have been a problem, but with the endless regeneration of the undead force it was more complicated than a simple one vs an army scenario.

"You ...You grew up in church?" the necromancer questioned, her current tone unreadable.

"Yeah I did," Ragna said reservedly, not willing to give any further information of his home. "What, you want to become friends now?"

"No... but I might just change your mind after all," the woman said to him with a sad sigh. "This town... life here wasn't always as you see it now."

' _Yeah, I don't think undead in the streets is a usual thing here,_ ' Ragna thought to himself, but said nothing.

"Decades ago Bailo town was under a representative of a very different church," the woman told him. "Before the church of Stroloth took the people's faith, before they integrated themselves into the politics of this wretched town, and before they created that _vulgar_ statue that plagues the eye-!" Ragna didn't correct that rant. "...This town's church was that of Fatalicee, the goddess of Death and the Eclipse."

Ragna could see the sadness in the woman's eyes as she explained this to him. He knew these types of stories, and they were never known for having happy endings.

"That church... that priesthood... it was my entire life since birth. I was left on those very steps as an infant, too young to remember my parents. Everyone had thought that leaving me on the front step was as a way of offering me to the church as a sacrifice... But no, they took me in, clothed me, and raised me as one of their own. Everyone in town treated me with scorn, thinking that the church was forcing their vile dark arts upon me. I could have felt lonely for I knew no one close to my own age, the people of that church was all I had... but they were my loving family."

"The people tolerated us, they had little choice. Our job within Bailo town was one of the most important; our order was in charge of maintain the crypt that extended below the entire city. Tending to the tombs of the dead and sanctifying the corpses so that they would never be used for Necromancy. Whenever a monarch or Paladin would die, it would always fall to us to ready the corpse for burial. But that stopped when... _THEY ATTACKED US._ "

The skeletons around Ragna lurched slightly at the pure force of the Necromancer's anger. Ragna himself said nothing... though he was beginning to see the tragic parallels between the two.

"The Order of Stroloth had come earlier that year to quell a threat of bandits that had plagued the area and had done their job. None of the people within the church had thought much of it at the time and had extended hospitality to their order for rest within our church and made plans to tend to and bury a warrior priest they had lost. They had taken our offer and had stayed with us... that proved to be our fatal mistake. The next morning their priests were out in the streets with the remains of their friends screaming to the townspeople and claiming that we had murdered him in his sleep as a form of a grotesque sacrifice."

"That was all the people had needed, that was all they had wanted; an excuse to persecute us. Within an hour there was an angry mob outside of our church being spurred further and further by the priests in red... then their tension boiled over and those fools invaded. I had to watch as the priests, the only family I had ever had covered me as they were taken by the townspeople. By some miracle I managed to escape the place and left to run. I returned a few weeks later hoping to find my family resolved of the blame... instead I saw their heads atop rusted pikes right in front of that AWFUL STATUE."

"So... you're here for revenge then," Ragna summarized without any sarcasm in his voice.

"I've spent my entire life preparing for this... Gathering and creating whatever _Mana_ _Crystals_ I could in order to have enough power to raise the dead, scouting a proper path into the tombs, waiting for our sanctification on the crypts to disperse so I could raise my army... This is my life's work and I won't let you take it from me!" Her hardened face then seemed to soften for a moment as she held out her hand. "You seem to understand me, to know the path I walk. You can help me... or you can leave this to me... Just let me have my Justice."

"...Justice huh?" Ragna repeated, thinking back to what Tsubaki had said to him about different interpretation of what humans could perceive as just. "Can you tell me your name at least?"

"You're the first person in some time to ask me that," the woman told him. "The priests named me _Revza;_ it is a name in the ancient tongue that stands for the end of day and peacefully passing on from this world... And yours?"

"...Ragna," the Reaper told her as he looked to his scythe before sighing. "I understand where you're coming from I really do, there's no way I'd lie about something like this... but I've got a job to finish and I can't let what you've done to these people slide... I'd ask you to stop this and come quietly, but knowing the priests and their idea of law keeping I think we both know that's not an option here."

"What I've done to these PEOPLE!?" Revza shouted, her hair flowing wildly as her anger grew. "Those people were what had killed my church in the first place! They feared us and killed us without reason so they could declare a blind faith to another Deity! And that Archbishop up above! He kept his people trapped in this city! They couldn't even call for help for he was far too prideful to let another force protect his city! **I am not the only one at fault for this suffering!** "

"Even still, I've got to stop you," Ragna said as he readied his scythe. "I'm sorry."

"...Your words... They don't ring hollow, do they?" Revza said, a hidden sadness to her tone. She snapped her fingers, causing the undead in the room to enter their battle ready stances as she grabbed out as many Mana crystals as she could hold. "...When my soldiers kill you, I shall sanctify your corpse myself... and I will let that girl that was with you leave unharmed... That is all I can promise you."

' _Not that I don't appreciate her offer, but it's still an unsettling one and I'm in trouble,_ ' Ragna thought to himself as time seemed to slow, his tension allowing him to analyze the countless strikes. ' _That shock-wave I pulled off shook this place up pretty well so that's out, and my Azure's too chaotic to rely on it for much longer. It's also impossible to go for the one controlling them with all of these monsters swarming me from all sides... I've just gotta hold out until she run out of those crystals, it's the only chance I got.'_

Ragna felt the hair on his body stand right before an entire line of skeletons on his right side was blasted away in a cyclone of wind. While the bodies were already quickly regenerating, a large portion of them had been forced to give Ragna a bit of breathing room.

' _Seriously?_ ' he thought to himself; half whimsical, half annoyed. "I thought I told you to-!" Before the Reaper could finish his sentence, he felt the sudden heat of a blaze hot fire as a column of flames shot to his other side, turning them back to slowly forming ash. ' _...That... wasn't Silvana,_ ' Ragna thought to himself nervously. ' _…So then who...?'_

The woman standing at the chamber's entrance had pink hair like Silvana, but the similarities ended there. This person stood at 5'2" and had a much more developed body. She was dressed in a black blouse and skit set and had a purple coat draped around her shoulders her. She was had a strange pair of ebony stilettos as footwear accompanied by black stockings that went up to her thighs. Her most noticeable piece of apparel was her purple pointed witches hat, but Ragna was more worried about her golden eyes as they were giving off a fiery glare. It was brutal look that he'd been on the receiving end of years ago.

 _ **(Cue**_ _BlazBlue: Centralfiction_ _ **Walpurgisnacht**_ **)**

"I've finally found the one who's behind all of this," Konoe Ayatsuki Mercury muttered heatedly as she stared down the necromancer that stood in the center of the room. As powerful incantations danced around her hands, her eyes found themselves gazing on the mysterious silver haired man that stood before her in the center of the skeletons. "Who-?"

Ragna then snapped out of his thoughts, and none to soon as the skeletons had already started moving once more. Using both ends of his weapon, the Reaper deflected and blocked the barrage of attacks from all sides, before spinning his weapon in a powerful vortex and knocking all immediate enemies off balance. Roaring, he then spun in a full circle, cleaving them all in half. Knowing it wouldn't last long, Ragna tried to decide his next move... which was decided for him as he noticed the giant wave of water heading straight for him.

"Hey watch it!" he shouted as he leaped into the air to avoid the attack, only for the elites to go after him once more. "This again!?" he shouted with rage as a skeleton with an over sized war-hammer took a massive swing at him. Intercepting the attack, Ragna managed to cleave through the armor and force the fighter to the ground. Slashing once more in a devastating arc, he managed to clear the immediate area of skeletons so he could land without problem.

"So they can regenerate," _Nine_ noted as she watch the skeletons reform. The Reaper grit his teeth as he wished that she'd do something... preferably when he wasn't in her sights. "Which means I'll need to go for the necromancer in control." Creating a powerful collection of rock and a crystal, she launched the attack at the head... only for it to be broken by the hammer user Ragna had cleaved in half earlier. Scowling at the display, she fired off a storm of ice crystals only for them too to be intercepted. "Tch, not going to be that easy eh?"

"Why the hell do you think I'm still here!? Exercise!?" Ragna shouted as he threw another undead into one of its allies.

"WHO EVEN ARE YOU!?" Nine shouted as she realized the undead that were rushing towards her. Gathering her magic into an orb as pure reflex, she unleashed a powerful explosion on all of threats. Blowing pieces away which turned to ash to be reformed later. Konoe then created a powerful orb of magic above Revza to rain fire upon her, but the attack was quickly dispelled... and the Necromancer started to grow annoyed.

"I SHANT ALLOW YOU TO STAND IN MY WAY!" Revza shouted as he eyes stared glowing with an ethereal pale light and the entire underground began to shake. Out of the sack, all of the crystals emerged and started to surround her in a deadly vortex. "YOU! THE PRIESTS! THIS CITY! I'LL DESTROY IT ALL IF I HAVE TO! **I'M THROUGH SHOWING YOU MERCY!** "

"The hell is she doing!?" Ragna demanded as he roundhouse kicked a skeleton, this time managing to break it apart with the force of his attack. ' _Their power's fading... Maybe I can put these thing down, but that power...'_

"She's going to try and send the entire city to hell! She doesn't care if the strain kills her!" Konoe shouted as she rushed forward, casting spells at a rapid pace as she attempted to clear a path to the caster. "Out of my way damn you!"

"Not good..." Ragna muttered as he fended off attacks from his group of skeletons as the rumbling increased in intensity. "Get me an opening and I'll finish her off!"

"Why the hell should I listen to you!?" Konoe retorted as she continued to blast skeletons and make progress, but she was too slow and running out of energy.

' _She's a stubborn as ever,'_ the Reaper thought to himself. "You see another way!? Just keep 'em off of me!" Leaping into the air, Ragna rushed at Revza for what would be his last attempt. Once more a massive horde of skeletons rushed towards him, but Konoe had seen his logic and stopped them with glowing magic shots that homed in on all of them. Launching himself off the heads of one of the skeletons, Ragna closed in on Revza. Pouring the last of his strength into his scythe, his weapon turned into even more violent flames and increased the earthquake to a new level, one which threatened to cause the entire underground to collapse.

" **I'LL SEE YOU AND THIS HEATHEN TOWN AS ASHES! PERISH INTO THE ABYSS!"**

The crystals around her formed a massive black magic circle with a titanic magic output. Giving one last feral scream, Revza fired the ray wave of pure magic at the Reaper... only to watch as his weapon cut through the blast... then the magic circle casting it.

"Im... possible..."

Sweat pouring from his face, Ragna gave a final shout as he swung his scythe a final time and cleaved deep into the Necromancer's flesh.

 _(End theme)_

' _It's..over...'_ Revza thought as she began to fall to the ground, her dimming perception forcing her to view the fall in a speed that was cruelly slow. She could make at every drop of blood from her fatal wound and watched as it turned to ash before her eyes; her overuse of her magic's power finally rebounding unto her. ' _My family... my church... all of it... gone... And those bastards... they can walk freely... All I've done... wasted...'_

Her fall came to an abrupt stop before she'd made it to the floor. Her vision blurred, her eyes turned and found themselves staring at the man who'd just managed to strike her down. Ragna's _Grimoire Scythe_ had already faded from his hands as he kept Revza from his the floor with his arm. Slowly lowering himself to a single knee, he did his best to keep her upright. Perplexed by the development, Konoe watched the two as the skeletons around her fell to ashes, their master soon to follow in their steps.

"Wh...why...?" the necromancer rasped, her eyes having a hard time focusing on Ragna.

"I might have had to kill you, but that doesn't mean I need to let you die alone," the Reaper told her calmly.

"I... I strayed... so far... from our teachings..." Revza softly whispered as her last tears slowly fell from her eyes. "When they... when my family sees me... they won't even... spit in my direction..."

"Revenge can do that to a person..." Ragna told her, his voice oddly calm and warm. "But I don't think it'll stop 'em from welcoming you back with open arms... they'll know why you did this and the hell you've suffered through... And that's over now..."

"...If only..." the dying woman said, mustering the last of her strength to raise her hand. From where she watched, Konoe was about to shout a warning to Ragna as she saw this as a clear attempt to leech his life away so Revza might live a little longer. But once the gloved hand touched the Grim Reaper's cheek, the spell never came. "...If... only... I'd met... someone... like you... _sooner_..."

"...Get some sleep; you've earned it," Ragna ordered, catching the woman's hand as it fell. Revsa's eyes slowly began to close.

"...Lady... Fata...licee... For... give... me..."

Those proved to be the malefic woman's last words as everything; her body, her clothes, and the hand being tenderly held, turned to ash in Ragna's arms before falling to the ground and created a small cloud. Sighing with melancholy, the Reaper dusted himself of the ashes before he rose to his feet. He then made his way for the exit of the ash coated chambers, pausing when the black flame torches died with their master gone.

"Fricken'-" he began as he was about to summon his azure flames to create a minor light source. Konoe proved to be the quicker of the two as she cared a small orb which cast a bright, pale light. "...That's useful."

"What you did there was an idiotic move," Konoe said to him bluntly. "She could have killed you if she wanted to with your guard down so close to her."

"Maybe... but she didn't, did she?" Ragna argued. "I guess that means I know something you don't."

"Tch, keep telling yourself that idiot, you'll at least get some sense of pride after coming here alone."

"Which reminds me, how did you get the priests to let you into the city and the church when you're so obviously a magic user?" Ragna asked, receiving no response from the pink haired mage. "On second thought, forcing your way in seems much closer to your style."

"You're speaking like you already know me," Konoe scoffed.

"Your first impression told me all I needed to know."

"...Idiot," was all the mage was left to insult Ragna with. Despite himself, the silver haired Reaper gave a small smirk. Someone clearly hadn't changed across worlds... so by that logic...

"You're a member of the Mage's Guild to the North then?" he questioned.

"What's it to you?" Konoe demanded.

"I've got someone I'm looking after; she's got talent with magic and I've been trying to get her to the guild for the better part of a week now. If you know the way, we could use a guide to get help us avoid any trouble on the roads."

"...Fine, but I don't even know your name," Konoe told him.

"Ragna; no family name," he bluntly introduced himself. "And you?"

"Call me _Nine_ ," Konoe ordered.

' _Guess I'm not on a first name basis with her yet,'_ Ragna thought as the two continued their exit from the subterranean morgue. ' _And somehow, I ain't surprised.'_

 _The Town Above_

Exiting the tombs had been an... odd affair. The priests that had been set to guard it didn't seem eager to unbar the doors until _Nine_ had threatened that she'd blast them off their hinges. The priests had quickly seen to letting the two out soon after that, but Ragna could feel the heated tension in the glares the two were receiving from the priesthood. This was pissing him off; so what if _Nine_ was a mage, the two had done the damn job for the church and taken care of something that was supposed to be their problem in the first place. The priests had then informed them that the Archbishop would want to see then outside, to which Ragna first insisted on grabbing Silvana. One quick and blunt introduction between the half-elf and _Nine_ later, the three had exited the church to find the Archbishop waiting outside for them.

Archbishop Oakley stood the church, right in front of the large statue of Stroloth that Ragna had even less of an appreciation for now. The Archbishop's eyes were narrowed into a harsh glare at the group and he had his army crossed with authority. Despite the masses of people that had been worshiping in front of the statue earlier, the cracked streets were now empty and the four seemed to be the only ones in the area.

"...I got the damn job done," Ragna told the priest. "So how about you stop glaring at me and show a bit of thanks?"

"For the dishonor you've committed and the tremors you've caused? I think you should be lucky that the church doesn't persecute you!" Oakley told him as he glared at _Nine_. "To think that you accepted help from this... this _witch._ "

"Wasn't my idea, and so what? _Nine_ did her part down there, which is more than I can say about the rest of you," Ragna said, further infuriating Oakley. "In fact, it's your fault that this happened in the first place. The corpses were supposed to be sanctified regularly to prevent shit like this from ever happening, or did you think that Fatalicee's church was just doing it for shits and giggles?"

"I... I have no idea what you're talking about," Oakley told the trio, his face still enraged.

"The Necromancer told me about how this used to be a church for the death goddess and how Stroloth's church branded them as traitors just so they could take over. If it hadn't been for you lot we'd have never had this problem in the first place... And let's not forget the fact that you were too pig headed to ask for help from the mercenaries passing by. This could have been solved long ago if you hadn't been such an ass about it."

The Priest paused at Ragna words for a long moment. "...The Necromancer told you this then?" he demanded. The Reaper didn't say anything in acknowledgment, but Oakley understood. "And you _believed her!?_ Those were just the mad ramblings of someone who's spent their life far too close to death! They wouldn't know the first thing of our Holy Order!"

"Some order," _Nine_ muttered. "If it wasn't for us you'd still be waist deep in undead. Even now your entire town's close to destroyed and there are plenty of people caught in the cross hairs. Makes me think they'll be much more hesitant to trust a church from here."

"That's what you think?" Oakley said before shaking his head with a mocking smile upon his face. "Then you're all fools; the townspeople will see this as the church's greatest achievement. In the face of despair and great odds we managed to triumph over an undead threat from the most distrusted church of the seven. Even your arrival here was proof of our lord's blessing."

"No one... will believe you," Silvana told the man with her own scowl.

"Who are they going to believe; three travelers that they've never seen before and all of whom are practitioners of magic, or a church that has severed this town well for decades and can see true miracles? Even those you saved outside will know not to question faith when the time to prove themselves arrives... take our honored statue for example." His claims to the church's blessing and power reaching new heights, Oakley then looked to the gaudy statue behind him. "Despite all of these attacks this town has suffered, not a single mark has been made against this blessed artifact. Its enchantments are too powerful and soon the people will return to worship at its feet once more. This statue is the very symbol of this town, of our church, of warriors from all-!"

Oakley's words died in his mouth as Ragna thrust an open palm out, sending forth a massive blast of _Azure_ at the statue. A massive dust cloud formed as Ragna's power made contact with the statue, leaving the priest's mouth hang open at the display. As the small embers of azure faded and as the dust cloud parted, the statue appeared to be completely find, not a single mark on it. Turning back to the one that had cast the attack, his glare upon the Reaper was absolutely scalding.

"Well, you were going on and on about how powerful it was, so I thought I'd make sure you were telling the truth," Ragna said as he smirked darkly. "Wouldn't want to ruin Stroloth's good name with a faulty statue, right?"

"...Unless you leave Bailo Town this instant I'll have you all brought before the city and tried for heresy," Oakley spat at them. Taking this as their cue to leave, Ragna and the others made their way for the cities gates.

 _Later -The Fields North of Bailo Town-_

"Thanks to you it looks like we're not getting any comfortable beds tonight," _Nine_ said with a sigh as she tilted her pointed hat upwards and looked to the evening sky. "I hope her spellcraft is better than yours, because I can't begin with how disappointing that spell was."

"That's part of the reason I'm headed to the guild, to figure out a way to get this thing under control," Ragna admitted. "Silvana's the real magic caster here, she's pretty strong at wind magic."

"I'll let the rest of our guild be the judge of that," the phantom from Ragna's past told him. "I'm not one to give out recommendations, so as soon as we get to the place you're on your own and I never have to look back on this."

"Harsh," Ragna and Silvana said in unison. A small smile tugged at the young half-elf's lips as she realized the coincidence while Ragna was slightly flabbergasted that Silvana was starting to copy him to the letter.

' _Mental precaution; ease up on the swearing,'_ Ragna promised himself, knowing full well that the last thing he needed was every other of Silvana's three words to become a harsh cuss. "By the way _Nine,_ what were you doing in Bailo town in the first place? You said that you'd _found_ that Necromancer when I first saw you, what's the story?"

"Those crystals she was using, that's what I was trying to uncover," she told him. "They're powerful gems that can house spiritual powers or Mana to empower the user to cast more powerful spells or drastically increase the potency of an spells they'd already know."

"And given how many of those things that she had..." Ragna thought as he remembered the sheer fistful Revza had in her possession. "Jeeze, no wonder we were having so much trouble cutting those things down. How'd she even get them all?"

"Given the type we were dealing with, she most likely made them herself or stole artificial ones. Natural ones are extremely rare, but they can also be extremely powerful. Artificial ones on the other hand are difficult to make, but can be even stronger if the maker is an expert at the craft," _Nine_ told them.

"But why were... you there?" Silvana questioned again.

"One of our customers had said their delivery had been stolen and hired our guild to track the gems down... doesn't look like it's a job I'll be paid for though."

"No food or... supplies for us," Silvana agreed sadly. "Bad ending..."

"...I wouldn't exactly say that," Ragna told the ladies with an air of mystery.

 _Meanwhile -Bailo Town-_

Standing in front of the statue of Stroloth and forcing himself to appear as stoic as one could, but on the inside he felt nothing but superiority and self pride. Masses of the townspeople had gathered in front of the statue (he'd allowed them to return to worship once Ragna's group had left) and all were either kneel prostrate before it or offering the praises to the heavens. The crisis had passed, he'd seen that they'd been told, and now was the time to reap the benefits of his patience.

"Perhaps you should lead them in their praise, Archbishop," one of the other priests suggested, one that was also attempting to remain stoic despite the great sense of pride in the air.

"An excellent suggestion, a guided praise would sound all the better," Oakley agreed. As the Archbishop raised his hands, a deafening hush fell over the people. "The gods have tested us, they have tried us... and they have deemed us worthy!" A loud cheer among the people. "The Necromancer threat has now been extinguished and though we may have lost town land or family, our great city of warriors has perceived to the end!"

"Bless the Church!" one person called.

"Thank the Gods!" rang another.

"Honor to the Greatest Warrior!" shouted a third.

"Yes! Stroloth's blessing upon this fair city played no small part in bringing those who practiced the wicked magic to their righteous spot in hell!" Oakley shouted before dramatically gesturing to the statue. "Gaze upon the true visage of strength and honor! A visage that was never marred in all of the conflict! Stroloth's bless extends to all of his most devote followers, offering powers that made the very ground you stand on quake in fear! This statue is his love for myself and our church made fo-!"

 _Crack_

"...rm?"

 _Crack_

His head turning to, Oakley turned his head and saw the statue of their deity completely covered in deep cracks which were continuing to spread. A surprised gasp emitted from many of the townspeople as well as the surrounding priests. All was still for along moment... before the statue shattered to pieces with a deafening blast, sending blessed marble flying in every direction.

"The... the statue..." Oakley could barely stutter out before the chaos began.

"THE WARRIOR'S ABANDONED US!"

"THE STAUTE'S DESTORYED!"

"WHY HAS HE FORSAKEN US!?"

"IT'S THE ARCHBISHOP! HE LIED ABOUT HIS BLESSING!"

"HE MUST HAVE ALLOWED THIS TRAVESTY TO HAPPEN!"

"HE'S RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR SUFFERING!"

"N-no! You don't understand I couldn't have lied! I don't know how-!" Realization hit the Archbishop so hard, he swore he felt the blow. "He... he did this..." He thought to himself with anger as he turned to his church followers. "All of you listen to me, that man should be nearby! Find him!"

The priests didn't listen, they only backed away from their leader in cold fear; they hadn't seen Ragna attack the statue, they hadn't seen anything except for its destruction at Oakley's words. "Are you mad!? Listen to me!" Oakley shouted as the rioting increased. This only severed for the priests to retreat inside the church, once more barring the door. Realization dawned upon Oakley as he slowly turned to face the enraged mob as the continued to barrage him with claims of his heresy.

 _Back to the Fields_

"Weird..." _Nine_ muttered as her gaze shifted to Bailo town. "I hear shouting coming from within the town... Definitely angry shouting."

"Might have heard... something break," Silvana said in turn, realizing that they were hearing a small riot. "Felt like... Ragna's magic."

"Both of you are wrong; I know exactly what it is," Ragna said with an unreadable face as he continued traveling north to the _Mage's Guild_. "Music to my ears..."

 _ **Character Relations**_

 _Kagura Mutsuki: 1st Rank_

 _Naoto Kurogane: 2nd Rank_

 _Emily: 1st Rank_

 _Eric: 1st Rank_

 _Silvana: 1st Rank_

 **Town Relations**

 _Galevon: Protector_

 _Fortune's Step Inn: Boar Killer_ (It's not going to change anytime soon)

 _Trudalla: Blue_ _Flamed Man_

 _Bailo Town: Mild Rumors_

 _ **Author's Note: Announcement**_

 _ **...Now you guys see why I waited until Christmas was over before I did this one? Not that I've got anything for or against organized religion, I'm pretty neutral about the subject. Spoiler warning, this won't be the last heated run-in Ragna will have with the church.**_

 _ **So, small announcement: I'll be trying to get out one final chapter of... something out before the end of the month. After that I'm not going to be posting anything new, all through February. Sorry to disappoint, but I feel like I could use a break... on the plus side I'll be able to go back and correct all of my little mistakes I've made in my stories and use the time to brainstorm some.**_

 _ **So in short, one more chapter this month and then a solid month of editing.**_

 _ **Ciao.**_


	11. Practice and Pride

_**Blue X: Practice and Pride**_

"So this is Tomelia," Ragna noted as he, _Nine_ , and Silvana walked through the valley leading up to the city which was on a higher elevation. "This place is supposed to have the largest Mage's guild in the kingdom, right?"

"It's been that way for over two hundred years," _Nine_ told him, giving Ragna some well needed exposition. "This kingdom's not exactly fond of independent Mages if you didn't notice back in Bailo Town. Most of the time they only tolerate us while the only magic users that are trusted as a whole are those who are part of the kingdom's army, and those rare few celebrities in the nobility. There are also those in the churches, but..."

"Lemme guess; they're more commonly called divine miracles, the _Seven's_ blessing, or some bullshit like that," Ragna muttered.

"...Took the words right out of my mouth," the magic user said as the two began their trek up the mountain.

"How do people... like magic users... in this town?" Silvana said while parting her sentence where she needed to.

"They respect us and in turn we treat them well," _Nine_ explained. "You'll never see anyone migrate north unless they have to, but the people that are here have lived in this town for several generations. To them, the constant presence of Mages is just another part of everyday life... even their tolerance for races like half-elves is pretty good."

"That's a relief," Silvana said with a smile. Ragna was impressed how naturally her three word sentences were starting to become. "How hard is... the entrance test?"

"That's for you to find out, I can't spoil the surprise and give either of you an edge," _Nine_ told the both of them as they continued their walk up the hill. "I doubt you two will pass, we have one of the hardest entrance exams out of all of the guilds of the kingdom."

"How many times did it take you? Or is that where _Nine_ came from?" the Reaper asked mockingly, only to earn a harsh scowl from his guide. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding, learn to take a joke why don't ya?"

"Only when you learn to tell a decent one," she angrily snapped at him.

"...Tough crowd," Silvana observed.

"Tell me about it," Ragna muttered. "By the way Nine, I noticed we took a bit of a detour on the road. I mean I know there were two branching paths, but you seemed pretty adamant about going the long way."

"You told me to avoid trouble on the road, so I made a point to avoid that path," Nine told him darkly. "Down there was a town that was destroyed about a decade ago by bandits. The only things that you'll find down that way are the burned out husks of the homes and the monsters or bandits that take refuge there to this day."

' _That must've been the village that Eric was from_ ,' Ragna said thinking back to when he'd met the fellow orphan earlier in his second youth. ' _If I ever decide to go by there again I should probably see if I can clear that place out, maybe check back every so often... It'll set my mind at ease at least.'_

Not long later, the three had managed to make their way up path and were standing in front of the large gates leading into town. The guardsmen atop the city's high wooden walls seemed to recognize _Nine_ as evident by their calls to open the gates. The heavy wood doors had barely been unbarred and opened before a quick blur seemed to pass through them.

"Welcome back!" the figure shouted as she immediately rushed _Nine_ with a tackle hug. The pink haired _Sage_ lurched back slightly, but only gave a small sigh and a well meaning smile as she looked down at the girl... Ragna recognized the red head only too well. "Huh? Who are they?"

"Some people I met on the road, apparently they want to join the guild," _Nine_ told her apparent younger sister.

"Really!? Yay! New members!" she said before turning to both of them. "I'm Celica A. Mercury! Nice to meet you!" This world's version of Celica was quite young, standing at only around 4 feet tall (still taller than Silvana). Her red hair was still done into a ponytail like it usually was. Her clothing however was slightly closer to her sister's instead of her regular school girl like outfit; save the lack of a hat, the fact that he outfit was white and brown instead of Nine's purple and black, and she had brown boots of soft leather instead of black stilettos.

"Nice to... meet you Celica," the young half-elf introduced herself with a short pause due to speaking a five worded sentence. "I'm Silvana."

"Hi there!" Celica said before turning to the Reaper. Looking at him, she realized she'd have to aim her gaze upwards further than she'd usually have to when talking to people. As her eyes landed on Ragna's face and blue eyes, she seemed to spend a long moment staring at him before blushing slightly. "A-and your name is?"

"...Call me Ragna," the Reaper told her bluntly. He noticed the heated glare _Nine_ was sending his way. "...Nice to meet you."

"L-likewise," Celica said nervously to him, her slight blush still on her face. "I, um-?"

"Come on, I better show you two to the guild," Nine interrupted her sister as she walked through the gates, expecting the three of them to follow closely behind. It was clear to Ragna that there was some bitterness in her words.

' _This... might be harder than I thought,_ ' Ragna realized with a sigh. ' _Least she isn't trying to roast me alive... yet.'_

 _Mage's Guild_

The _Seekers of Truth_ as the guild was called, turned to be to quite large even larger than the governor's manor of the city in fact. It was about the same size as the Mutsuki manor and at least as grand. Inside the main entrance there were several torches that were lit by magical fires of different colors. _Nine_ told them that while they served as a decent decoration, they also made a potent security measure but she decided not explain any further than that.

For as large as the place was, however, Ragna noticed that that it was rather... empty. They didn't seem to come across another mage even halfway into their tour. Silvana seemed to notice it too and would occasionally glance at Ragna with a look of confusion. Celica and _Nine_ didn't seem to mind and continued on like nothing was wrong.

"So..." Ragna began, trying to figure how best to address the guild with _Nine_ 's less than friendly attitude. "Any reason why this place is so empty?"

"This place has fallen on hard times as of late," Nine admitted. "The churches have been growing more and more hostile towards us and they've tried strong arming our guild in particular to get what they want... we're not the submitting type, but many of our old members either gave up magic or left for a more... docile guild."

"What the hell do they want from you that the other guilds aren't already doing?" Ragna asked. "Sounds odd to me that they'd single you guys out when they seem to hate magic as a whole."

"For one thing, they want us to lessen the studies of our own forms of magic and commit more to the development of their styles," she explained with a scowl. "They're trying to convince us that their magic is the only one that their gods would permit us to use, they're even trying to get us to follow some of their teachings and keep a shire to _Vinaria_ in every guild."

"The goddess of knowledge and understanding," Ragna said, remembering to Aaron's teachings.

"Yeah, that's how they try and keep us under their thumb," she told him, clearly disgruntled. "If our town's Governor wasn't the previous head of our guild and offering us support they might have managed to get rid of us entirely."

"Well, I'm not exactly the type to back down easily and I'm already on the church's bad side. What have I got to lose?"

"Confident are we?" _Nine_ said with a sigh before pausing in front of one of the rooms. "Actually, let me show you the labs, you might see one of our current members inside."

 _'Labs?'_ Ragna thought. ' _Labs of what?_ '

As soon as _Nine_ opened the door, he had his answer. _Alchemy_. The entire room was filled with beakers, ingredients, and different tools to craft potions as well as magic circles for purposes Ragna wasn't entirely sure of.

"Oh. do we finally have new members?" a familiar voice asked. Ragna gave a sigh of relief. THIS was someone he could deal with easily. The familiar glasses and robes wearing magic user seemed younger compared to his trip to the past (much like _Nine_ ), but her warm and welcoming smile was certainly a sight for sore eyes. "Konoe, glad to see that you made it back safely."

"Why, did you think there would be something that I wouldn't have been able to handle?" the pink haired mage told her proudly. "Both of you this is Trinity Glassfille; our local alchemist and creation based magic user."

"Nice to meet you," Ragna said, somewhat relieved that he knew this place had a more level headed person within it.

"...Trinity?" Silvana repeated, her voice seeming somewhat confused.

"Yes?" the alchemist asked, but that was when Silvana turned to Konoe.

" _Nine._ " She then turned to Ragna. "...Story."

"Story, what are you... oh." Realization came to Ragna and it was causing him to nervous. When he'd 'made up' the story of the Six heroes close to two week ago now, he hadn't even considered the idea that it was possible for the people of his own world would appear in this strange world. Apparently Silvana had a better memory than he had hoped because now it was coming back to bite him. "I... I mean... What a coincidence, right?"

"What's this about a story?" Nine demanded with some clear tension in her tone.

"There... there was a story that I made up for Silvana a while back," Ragna explained trying to say as little as he could to get himself exposed. "I... came up with a couple of names for the heroes and... well two of them were _Nine_ and Trinity."

" _Great Sage Nine_... _Trinity the Alchemist_ ," Silvana interjected, leaving Ragna to grow more and more worried that they'd start to suspect something.

"Wow! What are the chances?" Celica said. "This is some strange coincidence."

"I doubt it's just that," Konoe said as she scowled at Ragna. "Something about you has been off ever since I met you and this just makes you seem all the stranger..."

' _Shit, think I'm starting to see embers in her eyes,_ ' Ragna thought worriedly.

"Well, it might not be as bad as you're all thinking," Trinity said calmly, still smiling and being the voice of reason. "He might just have a latent power of precognitive magic without even realizing it. It's rare, but I've heard its possible in theory."

"Precognitive?" Silvana asked, who was uninformed on that particular type of magic.

"She means the ability to see into the future and get a glimpse of certain events," Nine explained, before sighing as she finally dropped her glare at Ragna. "It's... possible I guess."

' _I now have a newfound respect for Trinity,_ ' the Reaper thought to himself as his body was finally allowed to relax.

"Cool! Was I ever in part of your visions?" Celica asked excitedly.

"You weren't... in the story," the young half elf informed leaving Celica disappointed.

"So it's both selective and muddled, go figure," _Nine_ said. "Anyone else you can think of?"

"Um..." Ragna tried to wrack his mind and come up with least deeming figure from the story. After pressing himself for a moment, he finally came up with a name to take a chance on. "There was also someone named... Jubei." ...He regretted it the moment he'd said it.

"That right?" Nine asked before walking off.

"Um, where's she going?" Ragna had to question the other girls.

"If I had to guess, probably to grab Jubei," Celica said happily.

 _'You're kidding me, he's here!?_ ' Ragna thought to himself with anticipation. ' _Well... this could be a good thing, I mean I could use his help if he still knows his way around his sword like he used to; I'm still pretty rusty like thi... Wait, why would a swordmaster like him be at a Mage's guild? I know he had Ars Magus back home, but it's been more of a second thing for him.'_

"So... where are you from?" Celica questioned him as they waited for her sister to return.

" _Galevon,_ " Ragna told them. "Well, a village south of Bailo Town. It just decided to actually take a name recently."

"I traveled... a lot," Silvana explained, not giving much of a concrete answer.

"Oh, I see," Celica told the two.

"Found him," came Nine's voice. "Here's the great hero you were looking for."

"Great hero?" Ragna repeated before turning and getting his first good look at Jubei. "...Um... he's..."

" _Merow,_ " meowed the black and white cat that Konoe held in her arms. It's right eye was covered in a scar and the thing looked to be a little old and slightly overweight for a cat, though it was resting contently in _Nine's_ arms easily enough. It only had a single tail, but it still looked much like Ragna's old master.

"...Maybe my foresight isn't as good as you gave me credit for," Ragna said as he looked at the cat. "So is he magical or anything?"

"If by magical you mean the insane amounts of food it can eat and the ungodly long naps it takes," _Nine_ told him. "He's just a fat, lazy cat... but we still keep him around for some reason."

" _Merrrrrrrr..._ "

"I don't think he's taking too kindly to you insulting him," the Reaper said, figuring he'd just roll with it for now. Reaching his hand forward, he went to pet the cat.

"Wait!" Celica shouted as a warning, which came too late as Ragna began to scratch Jubei behind his ears... only to watch as Jubei seemed to be rather pleased, purring as it rubbed his head and against Ragna's hand to get particular parts scratched. Ragna noticed everyone staring at him as he continued to pamper the feline. "...What?"

"He... he normally hates men," Trinity told him as she stared at the cat in _Nine's_ arms that looked like he was in paradise. "In fact, the last time Claude tried to pet him, Celica needed to use her healing magic just to stop the bleeding."

"...And you _didn't_ warn me?" Ragna accused _Nine_.

"You were too quick," the mage said, leaving Ragna to call BS in his mind. Setting her cat down, Nine watched as Jubei walked forward and rubbed against the Reaper's leg with continued purring. "He seems to really like you... for whatever reason."

"'Cause he's got good taste," Ragna told her dismissively, though he didn't exactly mind this version of Jubei. "So where to next?"

"The library, most likely we'll find our local bookworm there," Nine explained. "I'll see you later, Trinity."

"Yes, I think I'll still need a while longer to finish up my work for today," the alchemist agreed before turning to Ragna and Silvana. "It was nice to meet both of you, I hope you're find yourselves at home in our guild."

"Thank you," Silvana said in return while Ragna simply gave her a plain nod. Trinity then returned to inside the labs and shut the wooden door behind her. "She seems nice."

"Calm too," Ragna said before chuckling. "Kinda makes me surprised she's friends with someone who's spell-happy and ready to fight at the drop of a pointed hat... or is it more of a baby sitting thing?"

"You..." Nine growled at Ragna.

"It's a bit of both really," Celica decided to add in. "Whenever Konoe leaves on a job, our Guild Leader tries to send Trinity with her to keep an eye on her."

"Celica!" _Nine_ shouted, scolding her sister.

"Oops, hehe!" the head giggled.

"...Heh," Ragna chuckled with a smile.

"Shut it you, or do you not want my help getting into the guild?" _Nine_ threatened him.

"What help? You were pretty blatant when you told me that you wouldn't be giving me any words of recommendation," the _Grim Reaper_ reminded. "Then again... you did escort us here when I asked for a guide, so I guess I'll have to play nice."

"What are you, a dog?" _Nine_ mocked with heated ire.

"I've been called worse," he responded with something of a wry smile as Jubei meowed beside him. "C'mon, you'd said something about showing us the library, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's just down this hallway," the sage said as she started walking down the halls, not waiting giving Ragna or the others any invitation to do so.

"Hey sis?" Celica asked. "Why are you showing them the library now?"

"Because any mage should know where the closest library is; a mage is no good if they don't have a place nearby to acquire their knowledge."

"Maybe, but you could always show them after they pass their entrance exam, I mean they aren't members of the guild yet," Celica said before it looked liked she'd come to a sudden realization. "Oh... I get it..."

"What?" her older sister asked.

"Hehe, you already know that they're going to pass the exam, don't you?" Celica said to her sister with a smile. "You're just showing them now so it saves time for later."

"Wrong," _Nine_ declined bluntly. "I'm teaching them now so that when they fail, they're so impressed by the facilities that they'll have no choice but to tell any other potential Mages about it."

"...She's cold," Silvana observed.

" _Merow,_ " Jubei seemed to agree.

Ragna didn't say anything, merely following Nine as she opened two large wooden doors. As the four stepped inside, Ragna got a good look at the library and had to pause as he observed it in all of his splendor. While he'd never been one to read much back in his home world, he'd had so little to do back in his home town that he'd spent more time in Aaron's library than he'd intended and had read well over half of what the library had to offer. This library was larger than Aaron's entire church, with shelves of books that eight meters high and bookshelves that reached over twelve on the first floor alone. The bottom floor also had several studying tables, each adorned with a candle for light.

"And here we are!" Celica declared. "Welcome to the second largest library in the kingdom!"

"Second largest?" Silvana questioned.

"When you have to go against the royal families own personal library, second best isn't all that bad," _Nine_ told her as she walked to over to one of the tables where a young man sat, the eyes behind his glasses darting ferociously between the two books before him as his quill scribbled notes. "Clause!"

"Aiya!" the man said, lurching for a moment in his seat and dropping his quill. "Can you NOT? Always when I'm having a break through..."

"You always claim to have one whenever I'm around, but you're not any closer to completing your project," _Nine_ argued. "Besides, I can smell you from here. When was the last time you bathed?" A low gurgle then cam from the writer's stomach. "Or ate?"

"Since you left for your job, it's the only time that I can ever get any work down without being interrupted," Clause said before shaking his long brown hair. Doing so made Ragna aware of the long elven ears poking out from massive mane of hair. Clause then eyed Jubei with something of a glare as the cat licked its paws before turning to Ragna and Silvana. "And who's this? Did you hire a body guard while you were out?"

"Does that sound like something I'd do?" _Nine_ asked him rhetorically. "It was a chance meeting while I was out, these two were hoping to join the _Guild_."

"New recruits? Finally, I was starting to get tired of how empty this place was seeming," Clause said, seeming relieved.

"More people means more noise, meaning it'll be all the harder for you to get your notes done," _Nine_ told him.

"Perhaps, or maybe they'll be like Trinity and we'll finally get someone that understands to be quiet in the library," Clause said before looking at Ragna and Silvana. "I hope the both of you make it in; it's been months since we've had any applicants for this guild and we're in sore need of additional Mages."

"Not sore enough that we won't make sure they're qualified first," Konoe told the bibliophile as he returned to his work, showing that he was done with the conversation. "Come on you two, let's introduce you to the guild leader and get this test over with."

Following _Nine_ and Celica through the large guild halls once more, the two then came to a large room that seemed to be a small private study. There was a shelve lined with books, but not nearly as big as any in the library. A roaring fireplace was on the far wall, burning a collection of wooden logs and providing warmth to the room. A middle aged woman sat at a table near the bookshelf reading her book with a cup of steaming tea and a few small sweets resting on said table.

The woman herself had her hair done up in a long pony tail and it looked like it may have been a striking blonde at one point, but now it looked like it had grayed with her age. She didn't appear to have many wrinkles, but she still looked like she was entering her older years. Her clothes were a faded violet set of loose mage robes and her eyes sparked of emerald intellect.

" _Guild Master_..." _Nine_ said to the woman, with an tone of respect that Ragna found odd coming from her.

"So the prodigy returns," the woman said with a warm and kind smile, as she looked up from her book. "And it seems that you've brought a few new acquaintances with you... Are they both in search of a place in our halls?"

"I am," Silvana answered with full conviction.

"And you?" the woman asked turning to Ragna. "I mean no offense, but you appearance suggests that you'd manage better as a warrior than a mage."

"But there's no reason why I can't be both," Ragna told her with his own conviction.

"Meaning you seek to walk the path of the _Magus_ ; a spell casting warrior." The woman then bookmarked her book and closed it before giving a tired sigh. "It is not an easy path to walk, the amount of effort required to combine the two forces is usually enough to turn most to chose their more prominent of the two paths."

"I'm not worried about effort; if it's been done before I can do it myself," Ragna told her.

"Actions reveal more character than mere words," she said before smiling at the both of them. "My name is Amelia Zolfera, the current head of this guild; _The Seeker's of Truth._ Our exam entrance may prove to be difficult, so I do know where this guild's standards are if you've made the effort to travel this far."

" _Nine_ didn't tell us anything before we got here," Ragna admitted, earning a scowl from the pink haired woman. "But it doesn't matter; I'm already at odds with the churches most days anyways. This doesn't change anything."

"So what happened in Bailo Town wasn't a first occurrence?" _Nine_ questioned.

"Not by a long shot," Ragna grumbled. "Half the time they think I'm some sort of demon while the other half they treat me like the poster boy for their damn tournament."

"T-tournament?" Amelia asked, appearing visibly startled.

"The _Holy Horizon_ ," Silvana explained. "Ragna's a contestant. Knows Royal family. Fighting second round."

"You never told me that," Konoe growled at him.

"You never asked," Ragna responded bluntly. "'Sides, it's not like you're talking my ear off about your own private life."

" _Guild Master?_ Is something wrong?" Celica asked as the elderly woman appeared deep in thought.

"This could..." she began out loud as she looked over Ragna. "...It seems that this could benefit the both of us after all. If you're looking to improve your magical prowess I can think of no place better to do so than here. Also, if you manage to stay in the tournament these next few rounds, then perhaps the churches will show us leniency with your presence here."

"So you want me in the guild... like you _really_ want me in the guild," the Reaper guessed.

"Indeed, and as a sign of goodwill in this agreement I'll even let you bypass our rigorous entrance exam," Amelia offered, shocking Celica and slightly angering _Nine_. "...Provided you show that you have some magic talent to begin with."

"Me as well?" Silvana asked and the woman nodded. Opening her palm, light green blades of wind danced around the young half-elves hand.

"I see, so you're a wind mage then," Amelia said as she closely examined the blade. "It seems powerful for a basic wind spell, but you seem to have to focus harshly in order to maintain any control. I assume you've been self taught up to this point then?"

"My mother... didn't know magic," she admitted.

"Not a worry, I think a still developing mage would be a welcome addition to our guild, though we will have to improve your speech if you're to use spoken incantations," Amelia told her before looking to Ragna. "And as for you?"

"...If we're being honest, I have even less control over my magic than she does," he said as he channeled his _Azure_ into his hand. Amelia didn't say anything as Ragna's arm was shrouded, only stopping to examine the flames. ' _If I'm going to figure out what this is I'm going to have to trust the guild... besides, it's too late to keep this stuff a secret after what happened in Trudala.'_ "The biggest problem is that I don't have much of an idea of what this actually is, but something tells me its different from most magic."

"You would be right, though I can't say even I've seen magic of this type before," Amelia said as she examined it closely. "...This could make for a decent project within our guild if you could manage to identify what this is... perhaps also boosting you uses with it. Tell me, what does it do at present?"

"Mostly I just coat my limbs in it to boost my attack power," Ragna admitted before changing the channeling and turning his weapon into a scythe of Azure flames. "I've also managed to turn this into weapon as well, but it's not nearly as good as having an actual one made of steel."

"...I suppose that will suffice for the both of you," Amelia said before turning to _Nine_. "Konoe, would you mind showing these two to their new rooms? The ones beside you and Celica will suffice nicely I think. They can start their work for the guild in the morning after they've rested." Not giving a verbal answer but nodding nonetheless, she headed for the door way to escort the two. "Best of luck to the both of you, I hope the entire guild will Reap the fruits of your labor soon enough."

"Yeah... Reap," Ragna said with something of a smirk as he and Silvana followed after Konoe, stopping to find Jubei who had been waiting for them outside of the office for whatever reason. "...Just to be clear I wasn't asking for an special entrance privileges."

"If Amelia decided this, there's nothing I can do about it," _Nine_ told him before sighing. "Maybe I was being too stubborn, you two could have easily passed the exam we would have given you."

"What was the test anyways?" Ragna asked with mild curiosity.

"Just to complete one of our job requests," Celica explained. "They just wanted to make sure that you could be helpful enough to contribute to the guild in any jobs we'd have needed from you. Whenever you take care of a job, the guild takes a portion of your earnings to fund itself so it can keep going. Sad to say though..."

"Take a lot?" Silvana guessed.

"Only since we're low on members right now," Nine told them both. "If you two want to earn more on each job, then find us some new members and send them our way... But make sure they're competent enough magic users before sending them our way."

"Got it, got it," Ragna agreed. "By the way, there might be times when away from the guild for longer than I should be."

"Doesn't matter, one of our members is usually away for months at at time. They're out now in fact," Nine told him.

"And they're...?" Ragna began, asking for details.

"You'll meet them soon enough... one hopes," _Nine_ told him as they continued found their rooms. "Good, Ragna you'll be in the one to the right; Silvana, the left. Get some rest for tomorrow; you'll have a busy day."

"What about dinner?" Ragna demanded, his stomach having been killing him. He hadn't anything that morning and given his recent action he had more than burned through any of those calories.

"The guild ate already.." Celica admitted. "You could probably grab something from the kitchens if you want. I could even make you something if you wanted me to."

"Nah, I'll see if there's a tavern in town to hit, thanks though," Ragna told her. "Come on Silvana, one last meal before bed again."

"Don't let me... drink from yours," Silvana requested with some embarrassment, remembering the night previous.

"...Might as well show you where it is," _Nine_ grumbled to herself as she started leading the two on once more. "Just know that you're paying."

' _...First time I've been forced to treat Nine to food,_ ' Ragna thought with a sigh as he followed the Sage. _'For the love of... anything really, just don't let her be a total bitch about it like Luna was._ '

 _Later -The Pale Moon Inn-_

The Inn that _Nine_ had brought them to wasn't nearly as large as _Fortune Step's Inn_ back on the road, but it would fit all of its current patrons and more rather comfortable. Men and woman, many of them appearing to be farmers or common town town workers. Like _Nine_ had said they give the group a quick glance, but quickly returned to their conversation like nothing had happened.

" _Nine_!" one of the severing girls, a blonde girl of fourteen, called out to her as she approached. "Back again I see?"

"Just returned not an hour ago," the Sage told her before gesturing to her two accomplices. "They both needed a meal, so I took them here out of the goodness of my heart."

' _BULL._ '

"Well I'll be sure to get the three of you set up with something," the young lady said before whispering in _Nine's_ ear. "I saved you a bottle of the good stuff, even though they've been asking for it."

"Perfect, I'll take that then," the Sage told her as she headed over to an open table and took a seat.

"And for you two?" the girl asked as Ragna and Silvana followed in suit.

"Ale; also the good stuff, and a light tea for the kid," Ragna told her.

"Got it, as for food we have our special that gets you a loaf of bread, a leg of lamb, and a cooked potato." Glancing at both of the ladies and seeing their nods, Ragna put up three fingers before flipping a gold coin to the lady who smiled at the extra money. "Perfect, I'll have your food out shortly."

"A full gold piece?" Nine asked with surprise. "Are you that big of a spender?"

"Not really, but I had guessed that the special stuff you ordered would be expensive, whatever the hell it is," the Reaper told her.

"So you're really treating me then?" she asked with apparent shock. "...I was kidding, I wouldn't have really made you pay for me."

"Then don't be so damn blunt about it next time," Ragna growled as he looked around and tried to change the direction of the conversation. "...Not a lot of merchants here."

"Probably because of Bailo town," Nine told him. "I'd heard that they were seizing merchant trading goods just to keep to the church's efforts again the undead supported. We never confirmed that of course, but considering everything else we saw..."

"No reason... to doubt it," Silvana agreed, appearing to be nervous.

"What's wrong with her?" _Nine_ asked bluntly.

"She's got... an issue with her hood," the Reaper tried to explain. When a confused _Nine_ glanced his way, he tapped the top of his ears.

"Oh, that," she muttered in response. Before either of the two could protest, the Sage sent out a short burst of wind immediately knocking Silvana's hood off of her.

"Dammit Nine!" Ragna growled as he nervously glanced around the restaurant while Silvana fidgeted nervously with her fingers. The patrons of the restaurant were glancing over at the table, but it appeared to be more at Ragna's outburst than Silvana's half-elven nature.

"Quit your whining, she's doing fine now isn't she?" the Sage said.

"And if she hadn't been?" Ragna accused.

"Then you'd have found some way to fix the problem," Nine said. Before Ragna could protest any further, the serving girl then returned with their drinks. Placing down a brass mug of tea before Silvana, a hollowed out horn of ale out for Ragna, and a wooden goblet to hold _Nine's_ bottle of wine. "Perfect, I've been waiting for this."

"Be sure you enjoy it then, this really is the last bottle of wine we have from the capital," the serving girl told them. "In fact, we haven't been getting much of anything since they've closed off Bailo town."

"Then trade should open soon enough," Ragna told her as he began drinking his ale. "We made sure of that."

"Damn straight we did," _Nine_ added.

"You're agreeing?" Silvana asked in surprise. Glancing at Silvana and then Konoe, it was clear that the two of them were just as confused with this development.

"Well, you three seem to have a lot to talk about, so I'll leave you to it and get your food out later," the serving girl said, trying desperately to get out of that situation.

"So... _The Holy Horizon_ then?" Nine asked, trying to get some information out of Ragna. "So what's it like?"

"I was only in the first round, but it wasn't too challenging, just a couple of fights really," Ragna told her before considering. "I guess my last opponent was pretty tough, but I still beat him... And he's going to be my partner next round it sounds like... There's no one from the guild entering that competition, are they?"

"Not a chance, but you might come across a few of our old guild members that left," _Nine_ admitted. "If you do come across them, you've got my permission to knock the crap out of them and teach them a lesson."

"I never asked for it," Ragna grumbled as he took a sip of his ale before turning to the uncovered Silvana. "You alright kid?"

"I... I think so..." she said, looking a little nervous because she was so unused to having her hood down for so long.

"Tch, you're coddling her," _Nine_ insisted with annoyance.

' _If you knew what your other self was like with Celica, you wouldn't be giving me ANY crap right now,_ ' Ragna thought to himself as he glanced to the entrance of the Inn as he saw the door open. ' _Speaking of which..._ '

"Hey guys!" Celica said with a smile as she promptly walked through the door, followed closely by Trinity a more gently smiling Trinity and Jubei the cat by their feet. All three came over and joined them, Celica sitting right between Ragna and her sister while Trinity sat between him and Silvana. Jubei then headed over to Nine's chair and sat behind his master's legs.

 _'So the Pre-Heroes Dark War group is back together... Plus one,_ ' Ragna thought, adding the fact that they had a half elf with them.

"I thought you'd said you'd already eaten," _Nine_ said to the redhead. Ragna could tell that the Sage was trying to keep an even tone with her younger sibling, but what exactly she was annoyed with her about... Ragna might have had a slight suspicion that it had something to do with him.

"I know, but I felt like I needed to spend some time with my sister and our new members," Celica told her sister with the bright and cheery smile that Ragna had remembered her for. Even Konoe's rougher expression couldn't keep up when in the presence of Celica's brightness.

"Well go ahead and order whatever you want then; Ragna's paying," Nine said, if only to get a demeaning smirk on her face as Ragna scowled at her.

"Okay, I'll just ask for a cup of warm tea then," Celica said with a smile on her.

' _At least she's not as pricey of a dinner date as her sister,'_ Ragna thought with a sigh. _'And the jobs here don't pay that much... I'm going to have to find a way to start getting actual coin soon or else what I got from those Goblins is finally going to run dry._ '

"If they've managed to join, shouldn't we be treating them?" Trinity suggested. "I feel that they've at least earned a warm welcome, especially if they managed to help _Nine_ resolve the situation in Bailo town."

"...I like her," Silvana said to Trinity, somewhat surprising the glasses wearing alchemist with the bluntness of words. "She's nice."

"And I'm not?" Nine asked in return. "Well next time you need a guide-"

"Trinity will help?" the young half elf interrupted, still looking at the alchemist.

"I... I suppose I can help any way I can," Trinity assured, not exactly enjoying being put on the spot like that, but trying to remain calm and smiling nonetheless.

"Don't need you," Silvana said back to Konoe with a passive-aggressive smirk on her face.

"Why you..." _Nine_ started with a growl, leaving the other patrons of the bar to grow nervous. Apparently an angry Konoe carried a fair bit of reputation around this town.

"Heh..." Ragna chuckled under his breath.

"You're laughing at me too?" _Nine_ asked heatedly.

"Nah, it's not that. It's just... I could sort of get used to this. It feels... nostalgic almost," Ragna said as he allowed himself to relax and actually giving off a well meaning smile. "Against my _better_ judgment, I'm looking forward to working with all of you in the guild. If you're going to practice magic with someone, you might as well work with the best, right?"

"The... best?" _Nine_ repeated before smirking, but not in a mocking way; more like she was starting to understand where Ragna was coming from. "Glad to see we're in agreement then." Her smirk then turned to a daring one. "Just don't cry after you come to me for help; I'll be putting you through hell to make sure I get the results I want for the guild."

"Challenge accepted," the Reaper told her still with a content smile on his face.

"Is... is Ragna flirting?" Silvana questioned stopping the Reaper cold. Now looking at _Nine_ nervously, he saw that her expression wasn't so much of an angry one as it was simply looking at his direction and awaiting his response... and in a way that was much more terrifying. Hearing the abrupt silence in the inn and seeing everyone else staring at him Ragna realized he was on the spot and that he'd need to come up with an out.

"...Let's just say I know better than to play with fire," he decided, trying desperately to remain as composed as he could to save face. He fought to the urge to let out a sigh of relief as _Nine_ laughed at him.

"Smart man," she told him as the bar seemed to slowly go back to normal.

Ragna allowed himself to relax... but couldn't help and notice the sigh of equal relief that came from Celica...

 _'Wait, does she...? ...Oh shit. This is going to be a problem._ '

 _ **-The Next Morning-**_

"There you go, these should get you started," Claus said as he placed a collection of large and heavy tomes against the table. The books in question were thoughts regarding known fact and theories on the subject of or both magical prowess and energies of magic themselves.

"That was quick," Ragna noted as he sat a the table in the library. He'd been instructed to work in the library for most of his first day while Silvana would be talking with the guild leader in hopes of curing he speech impediment.

"When you've spent as much time in the library as I have, finding the tomes comes close to as easy as breathing," the elf told him with an odd sense of pride. "Trust me when I say that I could find over half the books in this library blindfolded. At any rate, you have your books, your note-taking materials, and your robes so it seems you're ready to get started."

Much as he disliked the idea, Ragna had needed to change out of his red coat and black clothes mix in order to change into a more official mage set, _Guild Policy_ Konoe had called it. At the very least they fit, both his body and his color. The main appearance of the robes were your casual two piece set with a tighter top half and a loser fitting bottom half around the legs, both of which were black for Ragna. In order to the two together, he'd also been given a red sash which he kept tied tight around his waist.

"About the clothes..." Ragna began.

"You can ask Trinity about it when she helps you this evening, I'm only here to get you started I'm afraid," Clause told him as he began heading back to his own table. "Let me know if there's another book that you think you'll need. Otherwise I'd prefer to left to my own project."

"Yeah yeah, I won't be making much a ruckus," Ragna said, realizing that the fact that Clause was willing to get the books he needed was already pushing it considering how dedicated that Clause appeared to be to his research. Deciding it was better to take what few tools he did have, the Reaper opened his book began reading.

While Ragna had never been much for reading back in his own world (Jubei had obviously been a more 'hands-on' instructor), given the drab lifestyle he'd needed to take back in his home town, he'd had so little to do that reading was one of the few ways to help pass the time. Because of that, whenever he wasn't out training his body (which took a majority of his time) or spending time with the other children of the village (often times being pushed into doing so by Emily), he'd often spend his time reading in Aaron's library in order to try and learn more about the new world he'd become a part.

' _The more things change, the more they stay the same,_ ' he thought to himself wistfully as he opened the first book up and began reading through its contents.

While he read, he took a few short hand notes to gather his thoughts and summarize what he'd just read. While the process of reading while note taking did feel a little off to him at first, he told himself that he'd just have to role with it and hoped he'd improve if he actually had to dedicate himself. About an hour later, Ragna saw that he was almost done with the first tome.

' _One last passage and then I'll move on to the next one,_ ' Ragna thought before glancing back to his notes to recap what he'd read. ' _So far I've found out about four of the more basic forms of magical energy. If I'm reading this right, **Mana** is used by most of the Mage's around here and is just some sort of mysterious power which doesn't appear to have any known origin point. Second is **Spiritual** energy, which takes the power flowing through your surrounds as far as I can tell; the energy that flows through every living and materialistic object. After that comes **Divine** energies which is said to be a result of godly influence and strength... but the way the guy writes about it in this book, it's pretty clear that he thinks that this is just something that the churches made up. Finally I've got **Chi** , and this seems to come from the person itself. From what I can tell, it's a form that combines both a person's own energies and a mix of their breathing. Not too much of it in here, but it says that it's more of a foreign technique._'

Seeing the word 'foreign' gave Ragna a brief moment of pause. For as long as he'd been in this world and as large as the kingdom itself seemed, he'd occasionally needed to remind himself that the world went past the kingdoms borders, leaving much more of the world to explore... though he didn't exactly know what the land looked like because the only maps he'd seen was of his own kingdom.

' _Well, I can worry about that later,'_ he thought to himself as he began reading the last passage. ' _It appears that there is one last type of magic; a fifth form that has only been the cause of speculation and intrigue. I speak of the energies of the **Soul** as it could be called, or possibly a person's **Aura**. Many have denied this though, even some of my more adventurous college's. Though they agree that the energy of the soul may possibly contain a great power, using and and manipulating said power borders on the ideals of necromancy... had only there been a more natural and unfettered means of exploring this energy within my lifetime. Alas, I feel that this book will be my last.'_

Disregarding the book's ended on somewhat more mortal note, Ragna paused as he looked at the last section and re-read it again and again, his face a focused scowl as he tried to analyze the much shorter passage on the fifth type of magical energy. He slowly made his notes and crossed his arms appearing deep in though.

 _' **Soul** energy..._ ' he said in his mind as he thought back. _'My **Soul Eater** drive from back home... And my Azure that I've been given here... Is there a connection? People seem pretty shocked whenever they see my power so...'_ Looking over the next books and seeing by their titles that it wouldn't appear that they'd have much to do on his current interest, Ragna rose to his feet and headed over to Clause. _"_ Got a second?"

"...At long last," he said with a somewhat dramatic pause as he looked up. "Someone that actually knows how to stop me in my work without resulting to scare me out of it."

"Hey, I'm not _Nine,_ " Ragna told him. ' _Of course, that's probably the point he's trying to make._ ' "Anyways, I think I might have gotten a lead for something. Are there any other books in this library about _**Souls**_ or **_Aura_**?"

"Is that what stuck with you from the last book?" Clause asked somewhat reservedly. "Do yourself a favor and be careful what questions you ask about that subject; exploration of that type of magic, well let's just say it doesn't have a history of going well."

"Go ahead and elaborate, I'm just going to end up all the more curious if you're cryptic," Ragna told him.

"Speaking bluntly then..." Clause reluctantly agreed. "There have been occasional records of research dying as a result of trying to experiment on their own souls or those of others. Then you have the _Churches_ that have a defense that when we die its our souls that go to their divines. It's actually one of their better reasons, because their records of this actually go back to the earliest days of their orders. And of course there's the common people that can only see altering the seal as a work of _Demons_."

" _Demons..._ " Ragna began as he crossed his arms.

"What you don't know about them?" The Reaper shook his head, the most he'd heard about a demon was in one of Aaron's story books and that was the full extent. Stretching in his chair, Clause gestured to a chair before him offering Ragna a seat which the Reaper took. "This is only the more general view of these things, but for now it'll suffice. _Demons_ are powerful creates that come from a realm beyond our own. The are cruel, powerful, resistant, and most importantly very dangerous. You'll see a demon appear somewhere in our kingdom from time to time and there is always Chaos to be cause. Now one of the main acts that keeps the churches in power are their Templars; killing _Demons_ and _Devils_ is their most important function... well when they can defeat a _Devil_ that is."

"Is there a difference between the two?" Ragna questioned.

"Indeed, _Devils_ are much more sly and hope to deal with trickery and deceiving their victims to get them to promise their souls in _Devil Contracts_. These contracts can make them neigh impossible to defeat and they often leave much to the _Devil's_ interpretation. Demons on the other don't operate on contracts, but that doesn't make them any less dangerous. They exist for only three things; Souls, Chaos, and Destruction."

"I'll bear that in mind then," Ragna said with a sigh. "So if I see a demon?"

"Run for dear life and don't fight unless you absolutely have too," Clause told him. "Even if it's one of the weaker ones, it can be next to impossible to put down without the right equipment for the job; the _blessed_ magic and weapons of their order."

' _At least I know they're good for something then,_ ' Ragna thought to himself. "Guess I have no choice then; I've have to play it safe for now."

"Please do so, I'd hate to see this library burned to the ground," Clause said, returning to his books and indicating that the conversation was over.

' _At least he knows what his priorities are,_ ' the Reaper thought to himself before heading back to his books. ' _Huh, Basic Practices of Magic, this could help me big time."_ Staying in his seat, he continued to take notes on the subject and try to get and understanding of how to apply it his ever mysterious _Azure_.

 _-Later- Alchemy Labs_

"Trinity?" Ragna asked as he entered the alchemy labs, find the guild member inside. "Perfect, Clause told me to come find you."

"So you're already done with your first day of researching the tomes," Trinity said seeming pleased. "And you didn't even blow anything up?"

"...Is the entry bar for me really that low?" Ragna had to ask. "It's reading, how could I have possibly screwed that up?"

"Most new applicants are impatient and try to practice what they've learned even upon first reading a passage without having found out what it really means... Sometimes they even try to do it before leaving the library."

"Clause must really hate it when they do that," Ragna thought to himself with a chuckle.

"You just learned a basic spell! Don't go and cast it before you've completely read through it! And don't practice it here!" Clause shouted as the papers, books, and other important types of documentation swirled around in whirlwind.

"Sorry!" Silvana apologized as she quickly shut her magic off, leaving all of the scattered papers to gently float down to the floor. Seeing the glare Clause was giving her, the young half-elf immediately knew what she'd be doing for next hour or two.

"That reminds me," Trinity began as the focus returned to the alchemy labs. "How do you like the robes I've made for you?"

"You made these? Well you did a good job with them," Ragna complimented. "Size is good and the feel's good, you even got the colors that I want."

"You'd still rather be wearing your own clothes, wouldn't you?" the alchemist asked him, though she didn't seem upset in the slightest.

"Am I really that easy to see through?" he asked with a sigh.

"It's just that I know what to expect when a new participant receives their robes for the first time," Trinity explained. "Most people want to wear their own style of clothing, but that's a privilege that you'll have to earn."

"Well, guess I better get started then... no offense," he added to cover his hide. "So what was it you were going to show me?"

"Just a bit of basic transmutation and possibly some synthesis if we manage to get you there," Trinity told him. "The basic principle of transmutation is that your taking a single object and changing one of its properties. Though its somewhat restricted this makes it the second easiest form of alchemy to use; potions being considered the easiest form of all. With me so far?"

"I think so, but what exactly to you mean by manipulate?" Ragna asked.

"That's what I'm going to teach you," Trinity assured him, showing three stones on the table, one of which was surrounded by a chalk drawn circle with an open tome sitting beside it. "Now that particular incantation in the books will show you how to change the stone's shape; I want you to make it as flat as you possibly can."

"Okay..." Ragna began, a little unsure given his previous experience interaction with _Azure_ to material. Looking over the book, he got a general understanding of what to do. Placing his hands on the circle, he allowed his magic to flow into the object, but this felt different. It was like he was guiding the _Azure_ to what he wanted to do, and it was just adjusting itself to make the process as precise as possible, not unlike his _Azure Grimoire_ back home. A low burst of blue flames emerged, and as a result.

"Oh my," Trinity noted, looking rather surprised. The object that Ragna had manipulated was flat alright, and almost thin enough that it looked like one could easily snap it in two. "You're a natural! Have you ever practiced this before?"

"Nah, it just seemed to work better than I thought," Ragna thought as he looked at the tome. _'I guess as long as my Azure knows how it's supposed to do something, it might be able to guide me along... So the real problem will be not knowing what I don't know...'_

"If your magic is this strong, you could get me even closer to-" Trinity's words were interrupted as the stone began to show signs of cracking before shattering to pieces. "Oh shoot, it didn't even last half as long."

"Half as long, what's that supposed to mean?" Ragna asked her as he looked at the shattered remains of the object.

"Whenever you alter something through transformation or synthesis there a limit to how long it can remain in that state. Allowing it to retain it's form for longer periods of time can cost a fair amount of energy, often requiring Mana crystals. When that time runs up, it shatters."

"..." Ragna didn't save anything looking over the object only thinking how similar the way it broke was to... _'Right that, blast of Azure that put out. It usually takes anywhere between 5 to 10 minutes for whatever object there is to break. So all I've been doing is firing of a transmutation blasts? Jeeze, I really need help with this thing; I had no damn idea what I was doing with it._ '

"I was thinking I'd let you take a few more practice attempts with transmutation, but apparently you've a better grasp on the basics," Trinity said before leading him over to a second table. This one had a feather and a stone on it. "This process is called synthesis. It's a bit harder to use than transmutation., but it combines two objects into one. The difficult part is separating the attributes and creating an object with the key details that you need."

"So..." Ragna began as he looked at the small stone in one of the circles and the quill in the other. "I'm going to try and create a rock that's light as a quill?"

"Actually, I was going to have you make a rock heavy quill, but let's go with your idea," Trinity said. "You'll have to adjust the incantation shown in the book slightly, but I'd like to see what results."

' _Let's see,'_ Ragna thought to himself as he looked over the book for a few minutes. Placing each of his hands on one of the circles, he channeled his Azure into it, feeling as it almost seemed to analyze each object. The expected burst of blue flames then appeared leaving a single stone between the two circles. Tossing the object to Trinity, the alchemist was pleased to feel its weightlessness.

"I'm impressed," she told him with a bright smile, even when the object in the hand fell to pieces. "Now all we would need to do is continue to work with this object until you manage to get the objects to last for a longer period of time."

"Got it," Ragna said before looking at his robes and considering something. "You made these robes with transmutation, right? Won't it come undone if I don't charge it?"

"Actually, the robes are made of a special materiel called ' _Sage Silk.'_ Not only is it an easy material to use in transmutation and synthesis, but it also last long after the process. It even takes a negligible amount of Mana from its user regularly to maintain itself. It will even heighten your casting powers while you wear it."

"Damn, that does sound useful," Ragna had to admit. "But are we really allowed to play with alchemy on our own clothes?"

"Of course, in fact it's the only allowed way you're allowed to change what you're wearing. That's why Nine, Celica, and I are dressed differently; these clothes were transmuted and synthesized from our previous robes."

"Okay then," Ragna decided as he started thinking it over. "So, Celica's actually pretty good with Alchemy? Her clothes looked a lot different from the basic robes."

"...We actually have the suspicion that _Nine_ helped her," Trinity admitted.

' _That's what I thought, back home all she could ever use was healing magic. Transmuting different clothes would probably be...'_ Ragna thought wavered for a moment before he looked at the robes he currently wore. "Hmm..."

"Is something the matter?" Trinity asked, right before Ragna then abruptly left the labs. "...What's going through his mind now?" It wasn't long later before Ragna returned with a small sack. "Ragna?"

"Sorry, but I'm gonna have to ask you to wait outside," the Reaper told her as he flipped through the pages of the book. Unsure of how to respond to this ,Trinity decided that she'd listen to the request. Shutting the door behind her, she waited in the hallways waiting for something to happen.

 _ **THOUM!**_

"GAH!" came Ragna's surprised shout as smoke leaked out from under the doors and dust fell from the rafters. "Dammit! I-! Wait... It worked! It actually worked!"

"Ragna?" Trinity asked before opening the doors to the lab. "Are you-?"

She was forced to pause at what she saw within. There was smoke coming from the table housing the synthesis symbols and filled the room. In the center she saw Ragna holding his black clothes and red coat set, an odd sense of pride clearly on his face. The only problem was Ragna's clothing... or his therefor lack of; the Reaper was simply standing in his small-clothes.

"Perfect, now I have..." Ragna began before realizing the door was open. "...Trinity?" Trinity had her eyes closed and tried to keep a smile on her face though her complexion was as red as a tomato. Ragna himself seemed to flinch as he realized she'd seen him, his more modest side starting to play as he tightly shut his eyes and grit the teeth, almost like he was focusing to wake up from a horrible nightmare. Roughly grabbing the door to the lab, the alchemist slammed it shut and left Ragna inside with his clothes.

"Don't worry about that right now Ragna; the synthesis worked so just take the win," he grumbled to himself as he started to put his original clothing back on. On said clothes were on his body he gave a sigh. "At least it wasn't Celica that saw me; _Nine_ would be throwing fireballs right my way if that had happened."

Despite the chaos he'd just been involved with, he was relieved that he'd managed to get his coat back on... not only that, now it was able to boost his _Azure's_ use when he wore it. Still, if there was one thing he was lacking in, it was weaponry. Any _Grimoire Scythe_ could be a devastating weapon in his hands, but he'd need a physical one if he'd want to use his techniques to their full potency... and a sword, since he couldn't shift between them as easily without _Bloodscythe_.

"Damn, looks like I've still got more crap to do," Ragna thought aloud before sighing. As he started walking away his eyes landed on Konoe's cat, Jubei as it approached him. "Back again?" he asked it as he knelt before the cat and started petting it, leading for the feline to purr contently. "Like that kitty? ...Heh, my master would have never let me do this with his ears, you don't have a problem with this though, do ya?"

" _Merow."_

"Right... It's not like you can understand me, can you?" Ragna asked as he continued petting Jubei, deciding he'd pamper him a few minutes more. "Man, it's hard to believe that the two of you even shared the same name." Ragna then heard footsteps approaching from behind him. "Hmmm?"

"So... you're the newest addition to the _Mage's Guild_. The one that also happens to be a current hopeful in the _Holy Horizon,_ the one that helped out _Nine_ , AND one with a supposedly never before seen form of magic. I have to say, you don't look like much at first glance..."

Ragna felt his mind stop, his heart still, and his entire body shudder at a non-existent cold. He felt the air leave his body, the sensation of something wrapping around his neck to choke the life from him feeling all too real. Jubei's meows as its paws patted Ragna's pants were unnoticed by the Reaper. Sweat pouring down his face, he turned his head with the greatest sense of dread weighing down on his every movement.

The person behind him was wearing a gray vest-like piece on the top half of the body and had a white undershirt beneath that. Black tight fitting pants were worn on the bottom, and below them leather shoes with with a strange metal plate located on top of them. But what was most off putting to Ragna was the hooded cloak that this person was wearing; yellow, bright, and almost unnerving to look at... which matched their taunting yellow eyes _too well._

"Nice to meet you... Call me _Terumi_." The figure cackled as they noticed his terrified complexion. "Something wrong; you're acting like you've just seen a _ghost._ "

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED...**_

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **Well now... That was a note to end a chapter on. If I'm being honest here, I had trouble on whether or note I wanted to do this now, but in the end I decided, what the hell and went with it.**_

 _ **In other news, IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! Another year older and another year I've survived! This isn't too big of one, but I'm happy nonetheless (if you couldn't tell). Anyways, time for the review responses.**_

 _Dread Grim Reaper:_ I'm no Mozart, but I'll try to conduct the proper song.

 _JOK3R Of Monday:_ Thanks, I was really glad to see this particular comment in my feed. Put a smile on my face.

 _The Unplanner:_ Well... she's starting to get speech lesson, so who knows?

 _Shirosaki Kizuro:_ You're welcome, let's hope that you're not too miffed by this tease.

 _Ashbell Longheart:_ Thanks for the review.

 _Temsen:_ I've been throwing that idea around for a while now. I'm not sold on what I want to do one way or the other.

 _Just an Idiot_ : I know, I've been meaning to find a time where I can go back through all of my stories and just do editing.

 _Adv:_ It's _Nine_... I doubt that there won't be a setting that she doesn't immediately hate him.

 _Rialga:_ Well, here's your answer. Enjoy!

 _Silversean24:_ I'm throwing the idea of him having a support with the three for some time now. I guess I'll check to see if it gains popularity.

 _ **Until next time guys! I've also posted a new story,so go check that one out!**_

 _ **Ciao!**_


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